Shloka 65
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake
हातोत्तमाड़ं शकुनिं समीक्ष्य भूमौ शयानं रुधिरार्द्रगात्रम् । योधास्त्वदीया भयनष्टसत्त्वा दिशः प्रजग्मुः प्रगृहीतशस्त्रा:,शकुनिको मस्तकसे रहित एवं खूनसे लथपथ होकर पृथ्वीपर पड़ा देख आपके योद्धा भयके कारण अपना धैर्य खो बैठे और हथियार लिये हुए सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें भाग गये
hātotthamāḍaṃ śakuniṃ samīkṣya bhūmau śayānaṃ rudhirārdragātram | yodhās tvadīyā bhayanāṣṭasattvā diśaḥ prajagmuḥ pragṛhītaśastrāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Śakuni—his head struck down—lying on the ground with limbs drenched in blood, your warriors, their courage shattered by fear, fled in every direction, still clutching their weapons. The scene marks the moral collapse that follows the fall of a chief instigator: when leadership rooted in deceit is cut down, the remaining force often loses cohesion, and fear overrides duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and moral disarray spread when a central, often adharma-driven leader falls: without inner steadiness (sattva/dhairya), even armed men abandon their duty and scatter.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śakuni lies on the battlefield, beheaded and blood-soaked; seeing this, the Kaurava warriors lose heart and flee in all directions while still holding their weapons.