Shloka 22
Baka Dālbhya at Avakīrṇa-tīrtha: Rāṣṭra-kṣaya and Release through Prasāda (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 40)
ते तु तद्बलमासाद्य बभज्जुः सर्वतोदिशम् । तच्छुत्वा दिद्वुतं सैन्यं विश्वामित्रस्तु गाधिज:
te tu tadbalam āsādya babhajjuḥ sarvato diśam | tac chrutvā didrutaṃ sainyaṃ viśvāmitras tu gādhijaḥ ||
Doch sie, als sie auf jene Macht stießen, zerschlugen sie und zerstreuten sie nach allen Seiten. Als Viśvāmitra—der Sohn Gādhis—hörte, dass das Heer plötzlich in Flucht und Wirrnis geraten war, (handelte er entsprechend). Die Stelle zeigt, wie der Zusammenbruch gemeinsamer Disziplin im Kampf Stärke rasch in eine kopflose Flucht verwandelt und das ethische Gewicht von Führung und Standhaftigkeit in der Krise hervorhebt.
वैशग्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Military power depends on cohesion and morale; when discipline breaks, even a strong force collapses. The verse implicitly stresses the ethical responsibility of leaders to maintain steadiness and order, since panic spreads faster than courage.
A force is met and then broken apart on all sides, causing the army to scatter in sudden flight. On hearing of this rout, Viśvāmitra (identified by his patronymic ‘son of Gādhi’) is introduced as reacting to the news, marking a narrative shift to his role.