Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
सथधनुश्चापरस्यापि सशर: साड्कुशस्तथा । आक्रोशदन्यमन्यो>त्र तथान्यो विमुखो<द्रवत्,उस युद्धमें एक शूरवीरकी खड्गसहित ऊपर उठी हुई भुजा काट डाली गयी। दूसरेकी भी धनुष-बाण और अंकुशसहित बाँह खण्डित हो गयी। वहाँ एक सैनिक दूसरेको पुकारता था और दूसरा युद्धसे विमुख होकर भागा जा रहा था
sa dhanus cāparasya api saśaraḥ sāṅkuśas tathā | ākrośad anyam anyo 'tra tathānyo vimukho 'dravat ||
Sañjaya said: In that battle, one warrior’s arm—raised aloft with sword in hand—was hewn off. Another’s arm too was severed, along with his bow, arrows, and goad. There, one soldier cried out to another, while yet another, turning away from the fight, fled in fear—showing the chaos, suffering, and moral collapse that war unleashes.
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the brutal reality of war: courage and duty are tested amid terror, injury, and confusion. It implicitly contrasts steadfastness with the moral and psychological breakdown seen when fighters turn away and flee.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield scene where warriors are maimed—arms cut off along with weapons—while some cry out for help and others, overwhelmed, turn away from combat and run.