Shloka 56
Dvaipāyana-hrade Duryodhanasya Māyā — Yudhiṣṭhirasya Dharmoktiḥ (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 30)
सलिलान्तर्गतः शेते दुर्दर्शः कस्यचित् प्रभो । मानुषस्य मनुष्येन्द्र गदाहस्तो जनाधिप:,प्रभो! नरेन्द्र! हाथमें गदा लिये राजा दुर्योधन जलके भीतर सोया था। उस समय किसी भी मनुष्यके लिये उसको देखना कठिन था
salilāntargataḥ śete durdarśaḥ kasyacit prabho | mānuṣasya manuṣyendra gadāhasto janādhipaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai tuanku, wahai insan termulia: Raja Duryodhana, dengan gada di tangan, berbaring tersembunyi di bawah air. Pada ketika itu, amat sukar bagi sesiapa pun untuk melihatnya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the chaos and moral strain of war, power and survival can turn toward concealment and tactical withdrawal; it foreshadows the ethical tension between open kṣatriya confrontation and resorting to hiding, even while still armed and ready.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana is lying submerged in water, holding his mace, and is nearly impossible for anyone to see—setting the scene for his being sought out and the events leading toward the climactic mace-fight.