Shloka 19
दुःशासन-सहदेव-संक्षोभः; भीम-राधेय-गदायुद्धम्; द्रोण-पार्थ-अस्त्रसंग्रामः
Duhshasana–Sahadeva Clash; Bhima–Karna Mace Exchange; Drona–Arjuna Astra Duel
उत्सृज्य शतशो वाहांस्तत्र केचिन्नराधिपा: । प्राद्रवन्त महाराज भयाविष्टा: समन्ततः,महाराज! कुछ नरेश, जो सैकड़ोंकी संख्यामें थे, अपने वाहनोंको वहीं छोड़कर भयसे व्याकुल हो सब ओर भाग गये
utsṛjya śataśo vāhāṁs tatra kecin narādhipāḥ | prādravan mahārāja bhayāviṣṭāḥ samantataḥ ||
Overwhelmed by fear, certain kings there—numbering in the hundreds—abandoned their mounts and vehicles on the spot and fled in all directions. The scene underscores how, in the press of war, courage and royal composure can collapse, and panic can drive even rulers to forsake their duty and dignity.
संयज उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological contrast between the ideal of kṣatriya steadiness and the reality of battlefield terror: fear can make even rulers abandon their responsibilities and the very symbols of their power (mounts and vehicles).
In the midst of the Drona Parva battle, some kings—hundreds of them—panic, leave their conveyances behind, and scatter in flight in every direction.