Shloka 796
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
दुर्योधनबलं सर्व पुनरासीत् पराड्मुखम् । राजन्! जब मद्रराज मारे गये और कृतवर्मा भी रथहीन हो गया, तब दुर्योधनकी सारी सेना पुनः युद्धसे मुँह मोड़कर भागने लगी
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhana-balaṃ sarvaṃ punar āsīt parāṅmukham | rājan, yadā madrarājaḥ māritaḥ gataḥ kṛtavarmā ca rathahīno 'bhavat, tadā duryodhanasya sarvā senā punar yuddhāt mukhaṃ nivartya palāyituṃ pravavṛte |
Sanjaya said: O King, Duryodhana’s entire host once again turned away from the fight. When the king of Madra had been slain and Kṛtavarmā too was left without his chariot, Duryodhana’s forces lost heart and, turning their faces from battle, began to flee. The verse underscores how the fall of leading warriors can collapse morale and unravel an army’s resolve, regardless of its earlier pride or numbers.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and practical truth that adharma-driven power often depends on fragile confidence: when key leaders fall, collective resolve collapses. It also reflects the Mahabharata’s recurring lesson that outcomes in war are shaped not only by strength but by righteousness, leadership, and the morale sustained by them.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that after the Madra king (Shalya) is slain and Kṛtavarmā loses his chariot, Duryodhana’s forces turn away from the battlefield and begin to flee, indicating a renewed rout and breakdown of the Kaurava battle line.