Shloka 24
तिष्ठ तिछतेति न च ते स्वयं तत्रावतस्थिरे । धुर्यानिन्मुच्य च रथाद्धतसूतात् स्वलंकृतान् । अधिरुहा हयान् योधा: क्षिप्रं पद्धिरचोदयन्,कुछ योद्धा दूसरोंसे 'ठहरो, ठहरो' कहते, परंतु स्वयं नहीं ठहरते थे। कितने ही योद्धा सारथिशून्य रथसे सजे-सजाये घोड़ोंको खोलकर उनपर सवार हो जाते और पैरोंसे ही शीघ्रतापूर्वक उन्हें हाँकने लगते थे
tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti na ca te svayaṃ tatrāvatāsthire | dhuryān nirmucya ca rathād dhatasūtāt su-alaṅkṛtān | adhiruhya hayān yodhāḥ kṣipraṃ paddhir acodayan |
Sañjaya said: Though they kept shouting, “Stand! Stand!”, they themselves did not halt there. Some warriors, finding their chariots bereft of charioteers, unyoked the well-adorned horses from the pole and, mounting them, drove them swiftly onward using only their feet. The scene reveals the panic and inconsistency of men in battle—urging restraint in others while being swept away by fear and urgency themselves.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth: in crisis, people may demand discipline from others while failing to practice it themselves. It implicitly critiques hypocrisy and shows how fear and haste can override self-control (dama) and steadiness (dhṛti) expected in dharmic conduct.
On the battlefield, confusion spreads. Warriors shout for others to halt, yet they themselves keep moving. Some, whose charioteers have been killed, unyoke the decorated horses from their chariots, mount them directly, and drive them forward with their feet to escape or reposition quickly.