Shloka 62
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
अपश्यन्तो रथानीके दुर्योधनमरिंदमम् । राजानं मृगयामासुस्तव पुत्र महारथम्,इधर अअश्वत्थामा, कृपाचार्य और सात्वतवंशी कृतवर्मा--ये रथ-सेनामें आपके महारथी पुत्र शत्रुदमन राजा दुर्योधनको न देखकर उसकी खोज करने लगे
apaśyanto rathānīke duryodhanam ariṃdamam | rājānaṃ mṛgayāmāsus tava putraṃ mahāratham ||
Sañjaya said: Not seeing Duryodhana—the king, the mighty subduer of foes—within the massed chariot-formations, your great chariot-warriors began to search for your son. In the moral haze of war, the verse underscores how the army’s cohesion and purpose hinge upon the visible presence of its leader, and how anxiety and disorder arise when that leadership is suddenly absent.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In a battlefield setting, the leader’s presence functions as a moral and strategic anchor; when that anchor disappears, even elite warriors become unsettled and must reorient themselves—showing how war tests loyalty, discipline, and clarity of purpose.
During the fighting, Duryodhana is not visible in the chariot formations, so the Kaurava great chariot-warriors begin actively searching for him within the army array.