आपूर्यमाणेनास्त्रेण सैन्ये क्षीयति चाभिभो ॥
जगाम परमं त्रासं धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ॥
द्रवमाणं तु तत् सैन्यं दृष्ट्वा विगतचेतनम् ॥
मध्यस्थतां च पार्थस्य धर्मपुत्रो ऽब्रवीद् इदम् ॥
धृष्टद्युम्न पलायस्व सह पाञ्चालसेनया ॥
सात्यके त्वं च गच्छस्व वृष्ण्यन्धकवृतो गृहान् ॥
āpūryamāṇenāstreṇa sainye kṣīyati cābhibho ||
jagāma paramaṃ trāsaṃ dharmaputro yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
dravamāṇaṃ tu tat sainyaṃ dṛṣṭvā vigatacetanam ||
madhyasthatāṃ ca pārthasya dharmaputro 'bravīd idam ||
dhṛṣṭadyumna palāyasva saha pāñcālasenayā ||
sātyake tvaṃ ca gacchasva vṛṣṇyandhakavṛto gṛhān ||
When the weapon swelled and the army dwindled, O lord, Yudhishthira, son of Dharma, fell into utmost terror. Seeing that fleeing army, bereft of its senses, and the impassivity of Partha [Arjuna], the son of Dharma said this: 'Dhrishtadyumna, flee with the Panchala army; and you, Satyaki, go home, surrounded by the Vrishnis and Andhakas.'
23e80d3a40c2 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:18 PM UTC
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In despair, Yudhishthira bids his allies to save themselves: the king is ready to accept ruin alone, so long as others are spared. It is telling that his true nature shows through in extremity — self-abnegation, care for others before himself. The verse teaches that a true leader in the hour of hopelessness thinks not of his own deliverance but of those entrusted to him; and Yudhishthira's greatness here lies not in strength but in his readiness to take destruction upon himself alone.