Shloka 45
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय 128: दुर्योधनस्य परसेनाप्रवेशः
Duryodhana’s Incursion and the Tumult of Battle
सहायोनास्य वै कश्रित् तेन विन्दामि कश्मलम् | तस्मिन् कृष्णो हते नून॑ं युध्यते युद्धकोविद:,“उनका कोई दूसरा सहायक नहीं है। इससे मुझे बड़ी घबराहट हो रही है। निश्चय ही उनके मारे जानेपर युद्धकलाकोविद भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण युद्ध कर रहे हैं
sahāyo nāsya vai kaścit tena vindāmi kaśmalam | tasmin kṛṣṇo hate nūnaṃ yudhyate yuddha-kovidaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “He has no ally at all; therefore I am seized with distress and confusion. Surely, now that Kṛṣṇa has been slain, the one skilled in the arts of war is fighting on.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly fear and confusion (kaśmala) arise from incomplete or mistaken information in war. It implicitly contrasts human panic with the need for steadiness and discernment when judging events and leaders in a dharmic conflict.
Sañjaya reports his alarm that a certain warrior has no ally, and he infers that Kṛṣṇa has been killed; on that assumption he remarks that the war-expert is now fighting. The line reflects battlefield rumor or misreading of events, conveyed through Sañjaya’s anxious narration.