Shloka 713
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
त्यक्त्वा भीम॑ रणाज्जग्मुश्नोदयन्तो हयोत्तमान् । राजन! उन्होंने रणक्षेत्रमें सब ओर कौरवोंको घायल किया। महाराज! भीमसेनके द्वारा मारे जाते हुए आपके सभी पुत्र उन्हें छोड़कर अपने उत्तम घोड़ोंको हाँकते हुए रणभूमिसे दूर चले गये
tyaktvā bhīmaṁ raṇāj jagmuḥ snodayanto hayottamān | rājan! sarvato kauravān raṇakṣetre ghālayām āsuḥ | mahārāja! bhīmasenena hanyamānāḥ tava sarve putrās taṁ vihāya svān uttamān hayān codayantaḥ raṇabhūmeḥ dūram apākrāman |
Sañjaya said: Abandoning Bhīma, they withdrew from the battlefield, spurring on their finest horses. O King, on every side the Kauravas were being wounded in the field of battle. O Mahārāja, as Bhīmasena cut them down, all your sons left him behind and, driving their excellent steeds hard, moved far away from the fighting.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, adharma-driven confidence can collapse into fear when confronted by superior valor and consequence. It implicitly contrasts kṣatriya ideals of steadfastness with the moral and psychological unraveling that comes from fighting a doomed or unrighteous cause.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma is inflicting heavy damage on the Kaurava forces. Under Bhīma’s assault, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons abandon the immediate engagement and flee the battlefield, spurring their best horses to escape.