संजय उवाच
दुःशासनरथं दृष्ट्वा समीपे पर्यवस्थितम् ॥
भारद्वाजस् ततो वाक्यं दुःशासनम् अथाब्रवीत् ॥
दुःशासन रथाः सर्वे कस्माद् एते प्रविद्रुताः ॥
कच्चित् क्षेमं तु नृपतेः कच्चिज् जीवति सैन्धवः ॥
राजपुत्रो भवान् अत्र राजभ्राता महारथः ॥
किमर्थं द्रवसे युद्धे यौवराज्यम् अवाप्य हि ॥
स्वयं वैरं महत् कृत्वा पाञ्चालैः पाण्डवैः सह ॥
एकं सात्यकिम् आसाद्य कथं भीतो ऽसि संयुगे ॥
saṃjaya uvāca
duḥśāsanarathaṃ dṛṣṭvā samīpe paryavasthitam ||
bhāradvājas tato vākyaṃ duḥśāsanam athābravīt ||
duḥśāsana rathāḥ sarve kasmād ete pravidrutāḥ ||
kaccit kṣemaṃ tu nṛpateḥ kaccij jīvati saindhavaḥ ||
rājaputro bhavān atra rājabhrātā mahārathaḥ ||
kimarthaṃ dravase yuddhe yauvarājyam avāpya hi ||
svayaṃ vairaṃ mahat kṛtvā pāñcālaiḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha ||
ekaṃ sātyakim āsādya kathaṃ bhīto 'si saṃyuge ||
Seeing Duḥśāsana's chariot standing nearby, the son of Bharadvāja spoke this word to Duḥśāsana: "Duḥśāsana, why have all these chariots fled? Is all well with the king, is the Sindhu king alive? You are a king's son here, the king's brother, a great chariot-warrior — why do you flee in battle, having attained the office of heir? Having yourself stirred up great enmity with the Pāñcālas and Pāṇḍavas, how is it you are frightened in battle, meeting a single Sātyaki?"
dab191a1a00e · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:08:02 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Droṇa rebukes him: "svayaṃ vairaṃ mahat kṛtvā… katham bhītaḥ" — he himself kindled the enmity, yet in battle grows afraid. It is telling that the instigator of the quarrel proves faint of heart before its fruit. The verse teaches that whoever sows enmity must be ready to reap it: cowardice at the hour of reckoning is doubly shameful in one who himself started the strife — for bold in scheming yet timid in battle reveals the utter emptiness of his former arrogance.