Shloka 2
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
त्रासोद्धिग्नं तथोदश्रान्तं त्वदीयं तद् बल॑ नृप । युगान्तवातसंक्षुब्धं चलद्वीचितरद्धितम्,प्रलीनमीनमकरं सागराम्भ इवाभवत् | संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! उस समय अर्जुनके द्वारा खींचे जानेवाले गाण्डीव धनुषकी अत्यन्त भयंकर टंकार यमराजकी सुस्पष्ट गर्जना तथा इन्द्रके वज्रकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान जान पड़ती थी। उसे सुनकर आपकी सेना भयसे उद्विग्न हो बड़ी घबराहटमें पड़ गयी। उस समय उसकी दशा प्रलयकालकी आँधीसे क्षोभको प्राप्त एवं उत्ताल तरंगोंसे परिपूर्ण हुए उस महासागरके जलकी-सी हो गयी, जिसमें मछली और मगर आदि जलजन्तु छिप जाते हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
trāsoddhignaṁ tathodaśrāntaṁ tvadīyaṁ tad balaṁ nṛpa |
yugāntavāta-saṁkṣubdhaṁ calad-vīci-taraddhitam |
pralīna-mīna-makaraṁ sāgarāmbha ivābhavat ||
Sañjaya said: O king, your army—terrified, shaken, and utterly exhausted—became like the waters of the ocean when, at the end of an age, a tempest churns it into moving, towering waves, so that fish and crocodiles vanish from sight. Thus, under the pressure of Arjuna’s fearsome display, your forces lost steadiness and sank into panic.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and loss of composure can overwhelm even a large force: when leadership and morale collapse, an army becomes unstable like an ocean in a cosmic storm. Ethically, it underscores the inner dimension of warfare—courage, steadiness, and mental discipline often decide outcomes as much as weapons.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the Kaurava forces have become terrified and exhausted under Arjuna’s overwhelming martial pressure. He uses a vivid simile: the army resembles an ocean whipped by an end-of-age tempest, with its creatures disappearing—suggesting soldiers scattering, hiding, or losing cohesion.