Shloka 41
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
अमन्यत स्थित होन॑ प्रहरिष्यन्तमाहवे । अतो न प्राहरत् तस्मै पुनरेव तवात्मज:,उसने यही समझा कि रणक्षेत्रमें भीमसेन अब मुझपर प्रहार करनेके लिये खड़े हैं; अतः बचनेकी ही चेष्टामें संलग्न होकर आपके पुत्रने पुन: उनपर प्रहार नहीं किया
amanyata sthito 'haṁ prahariṣyantam āhave | ato na prāharat tasmai punar eva tavātmajaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “He thought, ‘I am standing here, and in this battle Bhīmasena is about to strike me.’ Therefore, intent only on saving himself, your son did not strike him again.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and self-preservation can override a warrior’s resolve: instead of pressing an advantage, one may become defensive, revealing the ethical and psychological tension between kṣatriya valor and the instinct to survive.
Vāyu explains to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana, thinking Bhīma was poised to strike him, focused on protecting himself and therefore did not deliver another counterblow.