Shloka 53
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 47 — Arjuna’s Deterrent Declaration
Sañjaya’s Report
तदा मूढो धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्र- स्तप्ता युद्धे दुर्मतिर्दु:सहाय: । दृष्टवा सैन्यं बाणवर्षान्धकारे प्रभज्यन्तं गोकुलवद् रणाग्रे
tadā mūḍho dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putras taptā yuddhe durmatir duḥsahāyaḥ | dṛṣṭvā sainyaṃ bāṇavarṣāndhakāre prabhajyantaṃ gokulavad raṇāgre ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Maka pada saat itu, putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra yang terpedaya—berniat jahat dan disokong sekutu-sekutu yang kejam—akan tersiksa dalam pertempuran. Kerana apabila dia mendengar dentingan garang Gāṇḍīva dan melihat tenteranya, dalam kegelapan yang dibentuk oleh ribut anak panah di hadapan medan, pecah-berai dan lari ke segala arah seperti kawanan lembu, maka pedih dukacita akan mencengkam hatinya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrighteous intent (durmati) sustained by harmful counsel (duḥsahāya) leads to inner torment when reality tests it; moral failure erodes courage and cohesion, while disciplined valor exposes the fragility of adharma.
Sañjaya describes how Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son will be distressed upon witnessing his forces scatter at the battlefront amid the ‘darkness’ of an intense arrow-shower, likened to cattle fleeing in panic—an image of collapsing morale before Arjuna’s martial prowess symbolized by the Gāṇḍīva.