Shloka 45
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
राज्ञो रथमभिप्रेक्ष्य विद्रुता:शतशो5भवन् | राजन! प्रजानाथ! तदनन्तर आपके पुत्र और सैनिक राजा दुर्योधनके रथकी वैसी दशा देखकर सैकड़ोंकी संख्यामें भाग खड़े हुए || ४४ $ ।। विद्रुतं तत्र तत् सैन्यं दृष्टवा भारत सात्यकि:
sañjaya uvāca | rājño ratham abhiprekṣya vidrutāḥ śataśo 'bhavan | rājan prajānātha tad-anantaraṃ tava putrāś ca sainikāś ca rājā duryodhanasya rathasya vaśīṃ daśāṃ dṛṣṭvā śataśaḥ saṅkhyayā bhāgaṃ pracakramuḥ | vidrutaṃ tatra tat sainyaṃ dṛṣṭvā bhārata sātyakiḥ |
Sañjaya said: Seeing the king’s chariot in that condition, hundreds fled in panic. O King, O lord of the people—after that, your sons and the soldiers, beholding King Duryodhana’s chariot brought to such a plight, broke and ran in great numbers. Seeing that army there in flight, Sātyaki …
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how quickly an army’s morale collapses when leadership appears vulnerable. In the ethical frame of the epic, fear-driven flight contrasts with the kṣatriya ideal of steadiness under crisis, and it shows how the visible condition of a leader (here, Duryodhana’s chariot) can sway collective conduct.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, after seeing Duryodhana’s chariot in a grievous state, many of the Kaurava side—including Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons and soldiers—panic and flee in large numbers. The verse then turns to Sātyaki, who notices that the army is in flight, setting up the next action.