Shloka 12
Arjuna–Bhīṣma Strategic Engagement and Mutual Arrow-Interdiction (भीष्मार्जुनसमागमः)
वाहनानि च सर्वाणि शकृन्मूत्र॑ प्रसुखुवु: । शब्देन तस्य वीरस्य सिंहस्येवेतरे मृगा:
vāhanāni ca sarvāṇi śakṛn-mūtraṁ prasukhuvuḥ | śabdena tasya vīrasya siṁhasyevetare mṛgāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Beim Klang des Brüllens jenes Helden entleerten alle Wagen und Zugtiere im Heer der Kauravas Kot und Urin—wie die übrigen Tiere im Wald, die beim Ruf des Löwen von Furcht gepackt werden.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological dimension of war: fear and loss of composure can defeat strength and equipment. A warrior’s presence and reputation can break an opponent’s confidence, showing that inner steadiness is as decisive as outer force.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield reaction to a hero’s thunderous roar (understood here as Bhīma’s): the Kaurava host’s mounts and vehicles panic so intensely that they void excrement and urine, compared to forest animals terrified by a lion’s cry.