Shloka 83
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
दुर्योधनस्य सचिवा ये केचिदवशेषिता: । राजदारानुपादाय प्रययुर्नगरं प्रति
duryodhanasya sacivā ye kecid avaśeṣitāḥ | rājadārān upādāya prayayur nagaraṃ prati ||
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—ദുര്യോധനന്റെ മന്ത്രിമാരിൽ ചിലർ ശേഷിച്ചിരുന്നു; അവർ രാജസ്ത്രീകളെ കൂട്ടിക്കൊണ്ട് നഗരത്തേക്കു പുറപ്പെട്ടു.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When power collapses through adharma, what remains is damage control—protecting dependents and retreating. The verse implicitly contrasts responsible kingship (which safeguards society through righteousness) with a reign that ends in fear, evacuation, and the hurried protection of the royal household.
After the devastation on the battlefield, the surviving ministers of Duryodhana gather the royal women and leave for the city, indicating the disintegration of the Kaurava command and the urgent need to secure the palace and its inhabitants.