Mahabharata 9.3.6 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 3, Shloka 6
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
अपारे पारमिच्छन्तो हते द्वीपे किरीटिना । सूतपुत्रे हते राजन् वित्रस्ता: शरविक्षता:
sañjaya uvāca | apāre pāram icchanto hate dvīpe kirīṭinā | sūtaputre hate rājan vitrastāḥ śaravikṣatāḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: “Tâu Đại vương, như những thương nhân bị bỏ lại không thuyền khi thuyền vỡ giữa đại dương vô biên—vẫn mong tới bờ xa mà lòng hoảng loạn—cũng vậy, khi con trai người đánh xe, kẻ đứng như một ‘hòn đảo’ giữa chiến trường, bị Arjuna đội mũ miện giết chết, chúng tôi đều kinh hãi, thân thể bị tên xé nát.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how armies and individuals often depend on a single perceived ‘refuge’ or pillar of strength; when that support falls, fear and moral disorientation spread rapidly. It underscores the fragility of confidence rooted in external power and the swift psychological collapse that can follow the loss of a leader.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Arjuna (the diadem-wearer) killed Karṇa (the charioteer’s son), the Kaurava side felt as if their ‘island’ in the ocean of battle had sunk. Wounded by arrows and overwhelmed, they became terrified and shaken.
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