Shloka 53
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
तस्मिन् देशे व्यवस्थाय यत्र शारद्वतः स्थित: । सम्प्रद्रुता वयं पजच किरीटिशरपीडिता:
tasmin deśe vyavasthāya yatra śāradvataḥ sthitaḥ | sampradrutā vayaṃ pañca kirīṭiśara-pīḍitāḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。「まさにその戦域、シャーラドヴァタ（クリパ）が布陣していた場所で、我ら五人はなお戦っていた。だが、冠を戴くアルジュナの矢に責め立てられ、そこから逃れ去った。恐怖に駆られて、われらはこの上なく恐るべきドリシュタデュムナのもとへ辿り着き、そこで激烈な戦いが起こった。彼は我らすべてを打ち破り、われらは再び退かざるを得なかった。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychological truth of warfare: even capable warriors may be compelled to retreat when overwhelmed by superior skill and relentless pressure. Ethically, it points to the tension between kṣatriya ideals of steadfastness and the human reality of fear, showing how outcomes in war are shaped by both valor and vulnerability.
Sañjaya reports that his side (a group of five warriors) was positioned near Kṛpa (Śāradvata). Under heavy attack from Arjuna’s arrows, they fled and encountered Dhṛṣṭadyumna, where a fierce fight ensued. Dhṛṣṭadyumna defeated them, forcing them to retreat again.