Shloka 91
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
युयुत्युर्वाच निहते शकुनौ तत्र सज्ञातिसुतबान्धवे,युयुत्सुने कहा--चाचाजी! जाति, भाई और पुत्रसहित शकुनिके मारे जानेपर जिसके शेष परिवार नष्ट हो गये थे, वह राजा दुर्योधन अपने घोड़ेको युद्धभूमिमें ही छोड़कर भयके मारे पूर्व दिशाकी ओर भाग गया
sañjaya uvāca | nihate śakunau tatra sa-jñāti-suta-bāndhave dūryodhanaḥ | aśvaṃ raṇa-bhūmau eva parityajya bhayāt pūrva-diśaṃ prādravat ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Apabila Śakuni terbunuh di sana—bersama kaum kerabatnya, anak-anaknya dan sekutu-sekutunya—Raja Duryodhana, melihat sisa sandarannya hancur, meninggalkan kudanya di medan perang itu sendiri dan, didorong ketakutan, melarikan diri ke arah timur.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical consequence of adharma: when one’s power is built on deceitful counsel and unstable bonds, it collapses in crisis, and fear replaces courage. It implicitly contrasts true kṣātra steadiness with panic born of moral and strategic ruin.
After Śakuni is killed along with his supporting circle of relatives and allies, Duryodhana—now bereft of that backing—abandons his horse on the battlefield and flees eastward in fear.