Mahabharata 9.3.6 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 6
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
अपारे पारमिच्छन्तो हते द्वीपे किरीटिना । सूतपुत्रे हते राजन् वित्रस्ता: शरविक्षता:
sañjaya uvāca | apāre pāram icchanto hate dvīpe kirīṭinā | sūtaputre hate rājan vitrastāḥ śaravikṣatāḥ ||
Санджая сказал: «О царь, как купцы, оставшиеся без лодки, когда их корабль ломается в беспредельном океане, — к дальнему берегу стремятся, но паника овладевает ими, — так и мы: когда сын колесничего, стоявший посреди битвы словно “остров”, был убит увенчанным диадемой Арджуной, мы пришли в ужас, израненные и изрубленные стрелами».
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how armies and individuals often depend on a single perceived ‘refuge’ or pillar of strength; when that support falls, fear and moral disorientation spread rapidly. It underscores the fragility of confidence rooted in external power and the swift psychological collapse that can follow the loss of a leader.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Arjuna (the diadem-wearer) killed Karṇa (the charioteer’s son), the Kaurava side felt as if their ‘island’ in the ocean of battle had sunk. Wounded by arrows and overwhelmed, they became terrified and shaken.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.