Shloka 10
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
मृत्योर्मुखगतं मन्ये कुन्तीपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् । हुतमग्नौ च कौन्तेयं दुर्योधनवशं गतम्,“मैं तो समझता हूँ कि इस समय कदुन्तीपुत्र युधिष्ठिर दुर्योधनके अधीन हो मृत्युके मुखमें चले गये हैं अथवा प्रज्वलित अग्निकी आहुति बन गये हैं
sañjaya uvāca | mṛtyor mukhagataṃ manye kuntīputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | hutam agnau ca kaunteyaṃ duryodhanavaśaṃ gatam ||
Sañjaya nói: “Ta cho rằng Yudhiṣṭhira, con của Kuntī, đã bước thẳng vào miệng tử thần—hoặc bị thiêu rụi như lễ vật trong ngọn lửa bừng cháy, hoặc đã rơi vào vòng khống chế của Duryodhana.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how quickly dharmic leadership can be imperiled in war: even a righteous king like Yudhiṣṭhira may appear trapped by death or by an adversary’s dominance, highlighting the fragility of agency amid battlefield chaos.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra his grim assessment that Yudhiṣṭhira is in extreme danger—either as good as dead or effectively subdued under Duryodhana’s power—using stark metaphors of death’s mouth and a fire-offering.