Shloka 17
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
सुयोधनमिमं भग्नं हतसैन्यं हृदं गतम् । पराजित वनप्रेप्सुं निराशं राज्यलम्भने
suyodhanam imaṁ bhagnaṁ hatasainyaṁ hṛdaṁ gatam | parājitaṁ vanaprepsuṁ nirāśaṁ rājyālambhane
风神婆由说道：“这苏由陀那已然崩折——军旅尽灭，心气沉入胸臆。败北之后，他只想遁入林野，对夺取王国亦已绝望；他已在内心彻底坍塌。”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological aftermath of unrighteous ambition: when power is pursued through adharma, defeat brings not only external loss (army, kingdom) but also inner ruin—hopelessness and the urge to flee rather than face responsibility.
Vāyudeva describes Suyodhana’s condition after catastrophic losses in the war: his forces are slain, he is defeated and mentally broken, and he no longer sees any prospect of securing the kingdom, even wishing to retreat into the forest.