उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
भीतान् भग्नांश्व सम्प्रेक्ष्य भयं भूयोडभिवर्धते । प्रभग्ना सहसा राजन् दिशो विद्रवते चमू:,राजन! भयभीत होकर भागते हुए सैनिकोंको देखकर अन्य योद्धाओंका भय, बहुत अधिक बढ़ जाता है; फिर तो सहसा सारी सेना हतोत्साह होकर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें भागने लगती है
bhītān bhagnāṁś ca samprekṣya bhayaṁ bhūyo 'bhivardhate | prabhagnā sahasā rājan diśo vidravate camūḥ ||
হে ৰাজন! ভীত আৰু মনোবলে ভাঙি পলাই যোৱা সৈন্যসকলক দেখি আনসকলৰ ভয় আৰু বাঢ়ে। তেতিয়া হঠাৎ সমগ্ৰ সেনা উৎসাহ হেৰুৱাই সকলো দিশলৈ চিতৰি পলাই যাবলৈ ধৰে।
व्यास उवाच
Fear is contagious in collective life: when people witness others panic and break ranks, their own courage erodes, leading to rapid, large-scale collapse. The verse implicitly highlights the ethical and strategic responsibility of leaders and warriors to maintain steadiness so that others are not harmed by cascading panic.
Vyāsa describes a battlefield dynamic to the king: once some soldiers are seen fleeing in terror, the remaining fighters’ fear intensifies, and the entire army can suddenly lose heart and run in all directions.