Shloka 31
तस्यां त्रस्ता नृपतयः सैनिकाश्न पृथग्विधा: । पाताल इव मज्जन्तो हीना देवव्रतेन ते,उस सेनाके भिन्न-भिन्न सैनिक, नरेशगण अत्यन्त भयभीत हो देवव्रत भीष्मके बिना मानो पातालमें डूब रहे थे
tasyāṃ trastā nṛpatayaḥ sainikāś ca pṛthagvidhāḥ | pātāla iva majjanto hīnā devavratena te ||
Sañjaya said: In that situation, the kings and the many divisions of soldiers, seized by fear, seemed—bereft of Devavrata (Bhīṣma)—to be sinking as though into Pātāla, the netherworld.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical and practical weight of steadfast leadership: when a dharmic, disciplined protector is removed, collective courage and order can collapse into भय (fear), showing how inner stability in leaders sustains the many.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield mood after Bhīṣma (Devavrata) is no longer leading: kings and troops of many divisions become panic-stricken, and their condition is compared to people sinking into Pātāla, emphasizing disarray and loss of confidence.