Shloka 5
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
दुर्योधनमभित्यज्य त्रय एते व्यवस्थिता: । कृपश्च कृतवर्मा च द्रौणिश्वैव महारथ:,“उधर कृपाचार्य, कृतवर्मा और महारथी अश्वत्थामा--ये तीनों युद्धभूमिमें दुर्योधनको छोड़कर कहीं अन्यत्र स्थित हैं
duryodhanam abhityajya traya ete vyavasthitāḥ | kṛpaś ca kṛtavarmā ca drauṇiś caiva mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Leaving Duryodhana behind, these three remained stationed elsewhere—Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and the great chariot-warrior Aśvatthāmā (son of Droṇa). The line underscores a grim ethical tension: at the moment their king lies abandoned, the surviving leaders are separated from him, foreshadowing the collapse of loyalty and order amid the ruin of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical fragility of wartime allegiance: when power collapses and defeat is imminent, even prominent leaders may become separated from their king, revealing how dharma (duty/loyalty) is tested—and often compromised—amid catastrophe.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has been left behind, while three key Kaurava warriors—Kṛpa, Kṛtavarmā, and Aśvatthāmā—are positioned elsewhere, setting the stage for subsequent actions by the remaining fighters after the main battle’s decisive turn.