Shloka 63
ततः प्रयाता: कुरवो जवेन श्रुत्वैव शड्खस्वनमीर्यमाणम् । विहाय मद्राधिपतिं पतिं च दुर्योधनं भारत भारतानाम्,भारत! उस शंखध्वनिको सुनते ही समस्त कौरवयोद्धा मद्रराज शल्य तथा भरतवंशियोंके अधिपति दुर्योधनको वहीं छोड़कर वेगपूर्वक भागने लगे
tataḥ prayātāḥ kuravo javena śrutvaiva śaṅkhasvanam īryamāṇam | vihāya madrādhipatiṁ patiṁ ca duryodhanaṁ bhārata bhāratānām ||
Śalya said: “Then, hearing the blare of the conch as it was being sounded, the Kuru warriors fled in haste. In their panic they abandoned even the lord of Madra, Śalya, and their own sovereign Duryodhana—ruler of the Bharatas—leaving them behind.”
शल्य उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that fear can cause in war: when morale breaks, even proclaimed loyalty to king and commander fails. It implicitly contrasts true kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness and protection of one’s leader—with panic-driven abandonment.
A conch is sounded on the battlefield; at that signal the Kuru troops lose heart and flee rapidly, leaving behind both Śalya (the Madra king allied with them) and their own ruler Duryodhana.