Shloka 17
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
ततो वीक्ष्य दिश: सर्वा दृष्टवा शून्यां च मेदिनीम् विहीन: सर्वयोधैश्व पाण्डवान् वीक्ष्य संयुगे
tato vīkṣya diśaḥ sarvā dṛṣṭvā śūnyāṃ ca medinīm | vihīnaḥ sarvayodhaiś ca pāṇḍavān vīkṣya saṃyuge ||
于是他环顾四方，见大地一片荒寂，方知自己已失尽诸将士。战场之上，他又见般度五子欢欣得意、所愿皆遂，四面如狮吼啸；并听见那些大心英雄之箭破空嗡鸣。难敌为悲痛所灼，遂决意逃离此处，因为他既无军旅可恃，亦无坐骑可乘。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral consequence of unrighteous ambition: when one’s cause is sustained by adharma, support collapses, leaving isolation and fear. The victorious confidence of the Pāṇḍavas contrasts with Duryodhana’s grief and impulse to flee, highlighting how inner alignment with dharma steadies courage while guilt and loss breed panic.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana surveys the battlefield, sees it emptied of his forces, and notices the Pāṇḍavas thriving—roaring like lions amid the hiss of their arrows. Overwhelmed by sorrow and lacking both troops and a mount, he considers escaping from the field.