Shloka 26

द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake

Devanagari script

तथा दृष्टवा महाराज एक: स पृथिवीपति: । हतं स्वहयमुत्सृज्य प्राड्मुख: प्राद्रवद्‌ भयात्‌,महाराज! रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ दुर्योधनने जब समरभूमिमें अपने किसी सहायकको न देखकर शत्रुओंको गर्जते देखा और अपनी सेनाके विनाशपर दृष्टिपात किया, तब वह अकेला भूपाल अपने मरे हुए घोड़ेको वहीं छोड़कर भयके मारे पूर्व दिशाकी ओर भाग चला

Transliteration

tathā dṛṣṭvā mahārāja ekaḥ sa pṛthivīpatiḥ | hataṃ svahayam utsṛjya prāṅmukhaḥ prādravad bhayāt ||

Translation

तथा दृष्ट्वा महाराज स पृथिवीपतिः एक एव। हतं स्वहयम् उत्सृज्य प्राङ्मुखः भयात् प्राद्रवत्।

Word by Word

तथाthus, in that manner

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

महाराजO great king

एकःalone, single

सःhe

पृथिवीपतिःlord of the earth, king

हतम्slain, dead

स्वहयम्his own horse

उत्सृज्यhaving abandoned, leaving behind

प्राङ्मुखःfacing east

प्राद्रवत्ran forth, fled

भयात्from fear, out of fear

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'mahārāja')

Duryodhana (implied by context as the 'pṛthivīpati')

horse (svahaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how fear and loss of support can shatter royal composure: when leadership is grounded in ego and force rather than inner steadiness and righteous purpose, collapse comes quickly in crisis.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the king (contextually Duryodhana), finding himself alone and seeing devastation around him, leaves his slain horse behind and flees eastward out of fear.