Mahabharata 7.189.22 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 189, Shloka 22
विह्नलं तूर्णमुद्भ्रान्तं सभयं भारतातुरम्
vihvalaṁ tūrṇam udbhrāntaṁ sabhayaṁ bhāratāturam | tāv evānye samāsādya jagmur vaivasvatakṣayam ||
قال سنجيا: يا بهاراتا، ما خلا دروناآچاريا وأرجونا، اضطرب سائر الجيش في الحال، فغشيه الذهول والهلع والخوف والضيق. ولم يكن لرجال كل فريقٍ ملجأٌ ومأوى إلا هذان البطلان؛ غير أن مقاتلي الخصم إذا دنوا من أحدهما سِيقوا إلى دار ياما—دار الموت—إذ كانت بأسهما طاغيًا لا يُقاوَم.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial excellence can become both refuge and peril: great leaders steady their own side in crisis, yet for opponents their very presence can mean certain death. Ethically, it underscores the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare—courage and protection for one’s own, lethal consequence for the foe.
Sañjaya reports that the armies, overwhelmed by the intensity of battle, fall into panic and confusion. Only Droṇa and Arjuna remain as firm supports for their respective forces; however, enemy warriors who attempt to close with either of them are slain—figuratively ‘reaching Yama’s abode’.
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