Shloka 18
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
तस्मिन् निपतिते वीरे सम्प्राद्रवत सा चमू: । सम्भ्रान्ताश्वद्धिपरथा पदातीनवमृदू्नती,उस वीरके धराशायी होते ही उसकी वह सारी सेना भागने लगी। घोड़े, हाथी तथा रथ सभी घबराहटमें पड़कर इधर-उधर चक्कर काटने लगे। वह सेना अपने ही पैदल सिपाहियोंको रौंदती हुई भाग रही थी
tasmin nipatite vīre samprādravat sā camūḥ | sambhrāntāśvaddhiparathā padātīn avamṛdnatī ||
When that hero fell to the ground, the entire host broke and fled. Horses, elephants, and chariots, seized by panic, wheeled about in confusion, and the routed army ran on, trampling its own foot-soldiers—an image of how fear, once unleashed in war, destroys order and compassion alike.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective discipline collapses when fear overtakes an army: once a key warrior falls, panic spreads, and even one’s own comrades become unintended victims. Ethically, it underscores the tragic momentum of war, where loss of self-control leads to further adharma-like harm (such as trampling one’s own soldiers).
Sañjaya reports that after a certain hero is struck down, the formation breaks. The host flees in disorder; horses, elephants, and chariots whirl about in confusion, and the retreating troops crush their own infantry while running.