Shloka 94

द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake

Devanagari script

ततो राज्ञ: कलत्राणि भ्रातृणां चास्य सर्वतः | वाहनेषु समारोप्य अध्यक्षा: प्राद्रवन्‌ू भयात्‌,तब राजा तथा उनके भाइयोंकी पत्नियोंकों सब ओरसे सवारियोंपर बिठाकर अन्तःपुरके अध्यक्ष भी भयके मारे भाग खड़े हुए

Transliteration

tato rājñaḥ kalatrāṇi bhrātṝṇāṁ cāsya sarvataḥ | vāhaneṣu samāropya adhyakṣāḥ prādravan bhayāt ||

Translation

అప్పుడు రాజుని భార్యల్ని, అలాగే అతని సోదరుల భార్యల్ని అన్ని వైపుల నుంచీ వాహనాలపై ఎక్కించి, అంతఃపురాధికారులు కూడా భయంతో పారిపోయారు.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

राज्ञःof the king

कलत्राणिwives

भ्रातृणाम्of (his) brothers

चand

अस्यof him, his

सर्वतःon all sides, all around

वाहनेषुin/on vehicles, conveyances

समारोप्यhaving made (them) mount / having placed (them) upon

अध्यक्षाःsuperintendents, overseers (of the inner apartments)

प्राद्रवन्ran away, fled

भयात्from fear, out of fear

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

the king (unnamed in this verse)

the king’s wives (kalatrāṇi)

wives of the king’s brothers

vāhana (vehicles/conveyances)

antahpura-adhyakṣa (supervisors of the inner apartments)

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?

In moments of extreme danger, fear can overpower institutional duty: even palace officials tasked with safeguarding the inner quarters may abandon responsibility. The verse implicitly contrasts dharma (steadfast protection of dependents) with the human impulse toward self-preservation under the shock of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a sudden flight within the royal household: the king’s wives and the wives of his brothers are hurriedly put onto conveyances, while the overseers of the inner palace run away in fear, indicating panic and breakdown of order amid the surrounding conflict.