Shloka 19
गजान् रथान् समारुहा व्युदस्य च हयाञ्जना: । प्राद्रवन् सर्वतः संख्ये दृष्टवा रुक्मरथं हतम्,युद्धस्थलमें सुवर्णमय रथवाले द्रोणका वध हुआ देख बहुतेरे सैनिक हाथियों और रथोंपर आरूढ़ हो तथा कितने ही योद्धा अपने घोड़ोंको भी छोड़कर सब ओरसे पलायन करने लगे
gajān rathān samāruhya vyudasya ca hayān janāḥ | prādravan sarvataḥ saṅkhye dṛṣṭvā rukmarathaṃ hatam ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing the warrior of the golden chariot slain on the battlefield, many men—some mounting elephants and chariots, and others even abandoning their horses—fled in every direction amid the press of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of collective courage: when a central leader falls, fear spreads rapidly and many abandon their stations. Ethically, it contrasts the ideal of steadfast kshatriya duty with the human tendency to flee when confidence and guidance collapse.
After the slaying of the ‘golden-charioted’ warrior (understood in context as Drona), many combatants panic. Some scramble onto elephants and chariots to escape, while others even leave their horses behind, fleeing in all directions across the battlefield.