Shloka 88
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
मार्गान् बहून् विचरता धावता च ततस्ततः । मुहुरुत्पतता चैव सम्मोह: समपद्यत
sañjaya uvāca | mārgān bahūn vicaratā dhāvatā ca tatastataḥ | muhur utpatatā caiva sammohaḥ samapadyata, rājan |
Sanjaya said: “O King, as he ranged over many paths and dashed here and there, and as he repeatedly sprang up, a bewildering panic seized the field. Like a lordly elephant in the thick of battle, Bhimasena’s movements and terror made the soldiers and their mounts tremble, and confusion spread over all.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and confusion (sammoha) can overtake an army when confronted with overwhelming force and unpredictable movement; in war, mental steadiness is as decisive as weapons.
Sanjaya describes Bhimasena moving rapidly across many routes on the battlefield—running, roaming, and repeatedly leaping—so that the opposing troops and their mounts begin to tremble and a general panic spreads.