Shloka 836
अपारयन्तो मद्बाणान् सिंहशब्दं मृगा इव । 'जनार्दन! युद्ध करती हुई इस संशप्तक-सेनाके पाँव उखड़ गये हैं। ये संशप्तक महारथी अपने-अपने दलके साथ भागे जा रहे हैं। जैसे मृग सिंहकी गर्जना सुनकर हतोत्साह हो जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार ये लोग मेरे बाणोंकी चोट सहन करनेमें असमर्थ हो गये हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
apārayanto madbāṇān siṃhaśabdaṃ mṛgā iva |
Sañjaya said: Unable to endure my arrows, they became like deer at the sound of a lion’s roar. Thus the Saṃśaptaka host, shaken in battle, lost its footing and began to flee with its several divisions—its great chariot-warriors retreating in disarray, their courage broken by the blows they could no longer bear.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collapse of morale under overwhelming force: when endurance fails, even renowned warriors lose resolve. Ethically, it underscores a recurring Mahābhārata theme—victory and defeat are shaped not only by weapons but by steadiness (dhairya) and the capacity to bear hardship in the performance of one’s duty.
Sanjaya reports that the Saṃśaptaka fighters cannot withstand the speaker’s arrows; their formation breaks and they retreat. The comparison to deer hearing a lion’s roar conveys sudden fear and loss of fighting spirit amid the battle.