Shloka 76
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
भरतश्रेष्ठ जिनके स्वजन और बान्धव मारे गये थे, वे सुकुमारी स्त्रियाँ तीव्र गतिसे नगरकी ओर जा रही थीं ।। आगोपालाविपालेभ्यो द्रवन्तो नगरं प्रति । ययुर्मनुष्या: सम्भ्रान्ता भीमसेनभयार्दिता:,उस समय भीमसेनके भयसे पीड़ित हो सभी मनुष्य गायों और भेड़ोंके चरवाहेतक घबराकर नगरकी ओर भाग रहे थे
ā gopālāvipālebhyo dravanto nagaraṃ prati | yayur manuṣyāḥ sambhrāntā bhīmasenabhayārditāḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Stricken with fear of Bhimasena, people fled in panic toward the city—everyone, from cowherds and shepherds onward—rushing as if safety lay only behind the city’s walls. The scene underscores how war’s violence spills beyond the battlefield, shaking ordinary life and driving even the most humble workers into terror and flight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical fallout of war: the terror generated by heroic violence does not remain confined to warriors but spreads to civilians, disrupting livelihoods and social order. It implicitly warns that adharma in conflict produces widespread suffering beyond the intended targets.
Sanjaya reports that people, overwhelmed by fear of Bhimasena, are fleeing toward the city in a stampede-like panic, including even cowherds and shepherds—signaling a breakdown of normal life around the war zone.