Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 29
अध्याय ४ — दुर्योधनस्य असंधि-निश्चयः
Duryodhana’s Refusal of Reconciliation
तां नावमिव पर्यस्तां वातधूतां महार्णवे । तव सेनां महाराज सव्यसाची व्यकम्पयत्,“महाराज! जैसे महासागरमें हवाके थपेड़े खाकर नाव डगमगाने लगती है, उसी प्रकार सव्यसाची अर्जुनने तुम्हारी सेनाको कँपा डाला है
tāṃ nāvam iva paryastāṃ vātadhūtāṃ mahārṇave | tava senāṃ mahārāja savyasācī vyakampayat ||
Sanjaya said: “O great king, just as a boat on the vast ocean, struck and tossed by gusting winds, begins to reel, so has Arjuna—the ambidextrous master of the bow—shaken your army.” The image underscores the moral and psychological collapse that can overtake a force when confronted by superior skill and resolve in the midst of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how morale and stability in war can collapse under the pressure of a superior warrior’s prowess; ethical leadership must recognize that fear and confusion can be as decisive as weapons.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s onslaught has made the Kaurava army tremble, comparing their shaken condition to a wind-tossed boat on the open sea.
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