Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 52
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
कर्णपुत्रवधध॑ दृष्टवा नकुलस्य च विक्रमम् । प्रदुद्राव भयात् सेना तावकी भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! कर्णपुत्रोंका वध और नकुलका पराक्रम देखकर आपकी सेना भयसे भाग चली
sañjaya uvāca | karṇaputra-vadhaṁ dṛṣṭvā nakulasya ca vikramam | pradudrāva bhayāt senā tāvakī bharatarṣabha bharataśreṣṭha ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing the slaying of Karṇa’s son and the prowess of Nakula, your army—overcome by fear—broke ranks and fled, O bull among the Bharatas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of power rooted in fear and wrongdoing: when confronted by clear evidence of defeat (the death of a key warrior) and authentic heroism (Nakula’s vikrama), collective morale collapses. It implicitly points to the ethical truth that adharma cannot sustain courage for long.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, after Karṇa’s son is slain and Nakula displays formidable prowess, the Kaurava forces panic and flee the battlefield, indicating a turning point in momentum and morale.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.