Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 15
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
सर्व पार्थमयं लोकमपश्यन् वै भयार्दिता: । कितने ही हाथियोंके सवार मारे गये, बहुत-से गजराजोंकी सूँड़ें काट डाली गयीं, सब लोग भयसे पीड़ित होकर सम्पूर्ण जगत्को अर्जुनमय देख रहे थे ।।
saṃjaya uvāca | sarvaṃ pārthamayaṃ lokam apaśyan vai bhayārditāḥ | katine hi hāthīnāṃ savārā māre gatāḥ, bahu-se gajarājānāṃ sūṇḍeṃ kāṭa ḍālī gayīṃ, sab log bhay se pīḍit hokar sampūrṇa jagat ko arjunamaya dekh rahe the || tān prekṣya dravataḥ sarvān bhīmasenabhayārditān |
Sañjaya said: Struck with terror, they seemed to see the whole world as nothing but Arjuna. Many elephant-riders had been slain; the trunks of many lordly elephants had been hewn away. Overwhelmed by fear, everyone perceived the entire field as filled with Arjuna alone. Seeing them all fleeing—afflicted by fear of Bhīmasena—(the narrative continues).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear distorts perception: when warriors are overwhelmed, they see the enemy’s presence everywhere. Ethically, it underscores the psychological cost of war and the way prowess (here of Arjuna and Bhīma) can break an army’s morale, testing the steadiness expected in kṣatriya-dharma.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield aftermath: many elephant-riders have been killed and many elephants’ trunks severed. The opposing warriors, terrified, feel as though the whole scene is dominated by Arjuna, and they are seen fleeing, gripped by fear of Bhīmasena.
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.