Shloka 17
अर्जुन-माहात्म्य-चिन्ता
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Arjuna’s Strategic Supremacy
अपि सारशथ्यघोषेण भयार्ता सव्यसाचिन:
api sāraśathyaghoṣeṇa bhayārtā savyasācinaḥ
துரிதராஷ்டிரன் கூறினான்—சவ்யசாசி (அர்ஜுனன்) சார்ந்தவர்கள், சாரதியின் நுணுக்கத்தால் எழுந்த அந்த முழக்கத்தால் பயத்தால் கலங்கினார்களா?
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line highlights how fear and moral uncertainty can be exploited through strategic noise, rumor, or deceptive signaling; it implicitly raises an ethical question about whether victory sought through ‘śāṭhya’ (cunning/deceit) aligns with dharma, especially on the eve of war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra anxiously inquires about the psychological impact of a charioteer’s loud, possibly deceptive clamor—asking whether those aligned with Arjuna (Savyasācin) were frightened or unsettled by it, reflecting his concern over shifting morale and advantage in the escalating conflict.