Shloka 8
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
अपनी सेनाका इस प्रकार संहार होता देख राजा दुर्योधनको बड़ा क्रोध हुआ। उसने मरनेसे बचे हुए बहुत-से रथियों, हाथीसवारों, घुड़सवारों और पैदलोंको सब ओरसे एकत्र करके उन सबसे इस प्रकार कहा-- |। समासाद्य रणे सर्वान् पाण्डवान् ससुहृदगणान् । पाज्चाल्यं चापि सबल॑ हत्वा शीघ्र न्यवर्तत,“वीरो! तुम सब लोग रणभूमिमें समस्त पाण्डवों तथा उनके मित्रोंसे भिड़कर उन्हें मार डालो और पांचालराज धृष्टद्युम्मका भी सेनासहित संहार करके शीघ्र लौट आओ'
saṃjaya uvāca | samāsādya raṇe sarvān pāṇḍavān sasu-hṛd-gaṇān | pāñcālyaṃ cāpi sa-balaṃ hatvā śīghraṃ nyavartata ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing his army being destroyed in this manner, King Duryodhana was seized by fierce anger. Gathering from every side the surviving chariot-warriors, elephant-riders, horsemen, and foot-soldiers, he commanded them: “Heroes, engage in battle with all the Pāṇḍavas together with their allied friends; slay them, and also kill the Pāñcāla leader along with his forces, then return quickly.” The verse underscores the hardening of resolve in war: rage and desperation drive Duryodhana toward an annihilative command, intensifying the ethical tragedy of fratricidal conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and desperation in war can eclipse discernment and dharmic restraint, leading leaders to issue totalizing commands of destruction. It serves as a narrative warning about the ethical degradation that accompanies unchecked rage and the momentum of violence.
After witnessing heavy losses, Duryodhana gathers the remaining fighters and orders them to engage the Pāṇḍavas and their allies, kill them, and also destroy the Pāñcāla leader with his forces, then return quickly—an attempt to reverse defeat through a concentrated assault.