Shloka 81
ते हन्यमाना वीरेण योधा राजन् रणे तव । प्रजहु: सैन्धवं भीता द्वौ सम॑ नाप्यधावताम्,राजन! उस समय रणभूमिमें वीर अर्जुनकी मार खानेवाले योद्धा भयभीत हो सिंधुराजको छोड़ भाग चले। वे इतने डर गये थे कि दो सैनिक भी एक साथ नहीं भागते थे
te hanyamānā vīreṇa yodhā rājan raṇe tava | prajahus saindhavaṃ bhītā dvau samaṃ nāpyadhāvatām ||
Sañjaya said: O King, as your warriors were being cut down in battle by the heroic Arjuna, they fled in fear, abandoning Jayadratha. Terror so seized them that not even two soldiers ran together side by side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear collapses cohesion and loyalty in war: when courage and discipline fail, even allies abandon their leader, showing that inner steadiness is as decisive as weapons.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna’s onslaught is so overwhelming that the Kaurava fighters panic, flee the field, and leave Jayadratha unprotected; their terror is so great that they do not even run in pairs.