Shloka 333
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
बहूनप्याविशन्मोहो भीरून् हृदयदुर्बलान् | अस्त्र-विद्यामें निपुण और खूनसे लथपथ हुए शूरवीरोंको परस्पर प्रहार करते देख बहुत-से दुर्बल हृदयवाले भीरु मनुष्योंके मनमें मोहका संचार होने लगा
bahūn api āviśan moho bhīrūn hṛdaya-durbalān | astra-vidyāyāṁ nipuṇān śūrān rudhira-liptān parasparaṁ praharataḥ dṛṣṭvā bahūnāṁ hṛdaya-durbalānāṁ bhīrūṇāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ manasi mohasya sañcāro 'bhavat |
Sañjaya said: Seeing warriors—skilled in the science of weapons and smeared with blood—striking one another, delusion began to spread through the minds of many timid men whose hearts were weak. The spectacle of mutual slaughter, even among the trained and valiant, unsettled those lacking inner steadiness, revealing how war erodes discernment and courage in the vulnerable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the violence of war can generate moha—loss of clarity and moral steadiness—especially in those who are inwardly weak or fearful. It implicitly contrasts external skill (astra-vidyā) with inner firmness, suggesting that true steadiness is ethical and psychological, not merely martial.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene where weapon-skilled heroes, covered in blood, strike each other. Witnessing this mutual slaughter causes many timid, weak-hearted people to become bewildered and shaken.