Shloka 51
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
ब्रूया: संजय राजान प्रज्ञाचक्षुषमी श्वरम् । दुर्योधनस्तव सुतः प्रविष्टो हृदमित्युत,“संजय! तुम प्रज्ञाचक्षु ऐश्वर्यशशाली महाराजसे कहना कि “आपका पुत्र दुर्योधन वैसे पराक्रमी सुहृदों, पुत्रों और भ्राताओंसे हीन होकर सरोवरमें प्रवेश कर गया है। जब पाण्डवोंने मेरा राज्य हर लिया, तब इस दयनीय दशामें मेरे-जैसा कौन पुरुष जीवन धारण कर सकता है?” संजय! तुम ये सारी बातें कहना और यह भी बताना कि “दुर्योधन उस महासंग्रामसे जीवित बचकर पानीसे भरे हुए इस सरोवरमें छिपा है और उसका सारा शरीर अत्यन्त घायल हो गया है'
brūyāḥ saṃjaya rājānaṃ prajñācakṣuṣam īśvaram | duryodhanas tava sutaḥ praviṣṭo hṛdam ity uta ||
Sañjaya said: “O Sañjaya, tell the king—wise in insight though bereft of sight, and sovereign in power—this: ‘Your son Duryodhana has entered the lake.’” In the surrounding narrative sense, the message conveys Duryodhana’s collapse into concealment after the ruin of his cause: deprived of allies and kin, wounded and overwhelmed by defeat, he hides in the waters, voicing the despair that life itself seems unbearable when kingdom, honor, and support have been stripped away.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral and psychological aftermath of adharma-driven conflict: when power is pursued without restraint, defeat brings not only loss of kingdom but also isolation, shame, and despair. The epithet ‘prajñācakṣu’ hints that true ‘sight’ is ethical discernment—yet even insight can be clouded by attachment to one’s own.
Sañjaya is instructed to report to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana has entered a lake. In context, Duryodhana, battered and bereft of supporters after the great battle, retreats to hide in the water, marking a turning point toward the final confrontation.