Shloka 18
Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)
एवंगते नरश्रेष्ठे पाण्डवे सत्यवादिनि । अस्माकं गमनं व्यक्त वन॑ प्रति भवेत् पुन:,“यदि सत्यवादी नरश्रेष्ठ पाण्डुकुमार युधिष्ठिर इस प्रकार बंदी बनाये गये तो निश्चय ही हमें पुन: वनमें जाना पड़ेगा
evaṃgate naraśreṣṭhe pāṇḍave satyavādini | asmākaṃ gamanaṃ vyaktaṃ vanaṃ prati bhavet punaḥ ||
సత్యవాది పాండవులలో నరశ్రేష్ఠుడైన యుధిష్ఠిరుడు ఈ విధంగా బంధించబడితే, నిశ్చయంగా మేము మళ్లీ వనానికి వెళ్లవలసి వస్తుంది.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and political weight of Yudhiṣṭhira’s identity as a satyavādin (truth-bound king): if such a figure is reduced to captivity, it signals a collapse of rightful order, bringing consequences like renewed exile and suffering.
Sañjaya, narrating events to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, remarks that if the truth-speaking Pāṇḍava (Yudhiṣṭhira) has been captured, then ‘we’ will surely have to return to the forest again—evoking the prospect of another forced withdrawal/exile as a result of the war’s turn.