Shloka 41
कर्णवधार्थं धनञ्जयस्य प्रतिज्ञा — Arjuna’s resolve for Karṇa’s defeat
वध्यमाने ततः सैन्ये भयं सुमहदाविशत् । संशप्तकगणानां च गोपालानां च भारत
vadhyamāne tataḥ sainye bhayaṁ sumahad āviśat | saṁśaptakagaṇānāṁ ca gopālānāṁ ca bhārata ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als das Heer niedergemacht wurde, überkam sie eine sehr große Furcht. O Bhārata, Entsetzen erhob sich unter den Scharen der Saṃśaptakas wie auch unter den kuhhirtischen Truppen des Nārāyaṇī-Heeres, als sie das Schlachten auf dem Schlachtfeld sahen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological cost of war: when destruction intensifies, even renowned or vowed fighters become overwhelmed by fear, showing how violence destabilizes resolve and order.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the fighting grows deadly and the army is being destroyed, panic spreads—specifically among the Saṁśaptaka bands and the gopāla contingent associated with the Nārāyaṇī forces.