Shloka 11
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा स्त्रीणां च आर्तनादः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Collapse and the Lament of the Palace Women
यस्य वै युधि संत्रासात् कुन्तीपुत्रो धनंजय: । निवर्तते सदा मन्द: सिंहात क्षुद्रमूगो यथा
yasya vai yudhi saṃtrāsāt kuntīputro dhanaṃjayaḥ | nivartate sadā mandaḥ siṃhāt kṣudramṛgo yathā ||
サञ्जャヤは言った。「戦場で彼を恐れるあまり、クンティの子ダナञ्जャヤ（アルジュナ）はいつも退き返る—気弱く—まるで獅子の前から小さな獣が逃げ去るように。」これは戦の修辞である。勇気は讃えられ、恐れは嘲られ、相手の威勢が誇張されて、アルジュナさえひるむかのように語られる。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates the Mahābhārata’s battlefield rhetoric: valor is upheld as a kṣatriya ideal, while fear and retreat are condemned through sharp comparison. Ethically, it shows how speech in war can be used to intimidate, shame, and magnify one’s side by portraying the opponent as cowardly.
Sañjaya reports a claim about a warrior whose mere presence causes Arjuna to recoil in fear, likening Arjuna to a small animal fleeing a lion. The statement functions as praise of the feared warrior’s might and as a taunt aimed at diminishing Arjuna’s reputation.