Shloka 18
द्वैपायनह्रदे दुर्योधनान्वेषणम् / The Search for Duryodhana at Dvaipāyana Lake
मुदितान् सर्वतः सिद्धान् नर्दमानान् समन्ततः । बाणशब्दरवांश्रैव श्रुत्वा तेषां महात्मनाम्
sañjaya uvāca | muditān sarvataḥ siddhān nardamānān samantataḥ | bāṇa-śabda-ravāṃś caiva śrutvā teṣāṃ mahātmanām |
三阇耶说道：“他见般度诸英雄遍处欢腾、所愿皆遂，四面如狮吼啸，又闻那些大心勇士之箭破空回响；难敌为悲痛所压，遂决意逃离此地。那一刻，四方与大地在他眼中尽成空寂，因为他已失尽战士；既无军旅，亦无坐骑可依。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological collapse that follows adharma and overreliance on power: when support (army, allies, confidence) is lost, the mind perceives the world as empty and seeks escape. It contrasts the victorious energy of the righteous side with the despair of the defeated, showing how inner state shapes perception and action.
Sanjaya describes Duryodhana witnessing the Pandavas triumphant and roaring on all sides, while the battlefield rings with the sound of their arrows. Stricken with grief and seeing himself bereft of warriors and resources, Duryodhana considers fleeing from the battlefield.