Shloka 19
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
तेनादिता महाराज भारती सा महाचमू: । व्यभ्रमत् तत्र तत्रैव योषिन्मदवशादिव,महाराज! अभिमन्युसे पीड़ित हुई भरतवंशियोंकी वह विशाल सेना मदोन्मत्त युवतीकी भाँति वहीं चक्कर काट रही थी
tenāditā mahārāja bhāratī sā mahācamūḥ | vyabhramat tatra tatraiva yoṣinmada-vaśād iva, mahārāja |
Sañjaya said: O King, struck and thrown into confusion by him, that vast army of the Bharatas reeled about there and there, circling on the very spot—like a woman intoxicated and overpowered by passion—under the pressure of Abhimanyu’s assault.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that when an army loses composure and coordination, it becomes helpless despite its size; self-mastery and disciplined action—embodied by the attacker—can overturn numerical strength. Ethically, it warns that frenzy and loss of restraint (mada-vaśa) lead to collapse, while steadiness and skill sustain righteous effectiveness in crisis.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu’s onslaught has shaken the Bharata/Kuru forces so severely that the great host reels and circles in confusion on the battlefield, unable to hold formation, as if intoxicated and driven by overpowering impulse.