Shloka 12
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
ते दृष्टवा धर्मराजानं कौरवेयैस्तथा कृतम् । नामृष्यन्त सुसंरब्धा: शिखण्डिप्रमुखा रथा:
te dṛṣṭvā dharmarājānaṃ kauraveyais tathā kṛtam | nāmṛṣyanta susaṃrabdhāḥ śikhaṇḍipramukhā rathāḥ ||
ते दृष्ट्वा धर्मराजानं कौरवेयैस्तथा कृतम् । नामृष्यन्त सुसंरब्धाः शिखण्डिप्रमुखा रथाः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral outrage in the face of injustice: when the righteous are wronged, allies who value dharma feel compelled to respond. It frames anger not as mere passion but as a reaction to adharma, urging protection of the virtuous and resistance to wrongdoing.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava-side chariot-warriors, led by Śikhaṇḍin, see Yudhiṣṭhira reduced to a humiliating or grievous condition by the Kauravas. Enraged, they cannot tolerate it and are stirred toward action.