Shloka 17
सहसा प्राद्रवद् राजन् सूतपुत्रशरार्दितम् | राजन! महामना सूतपुत्र कर्णकी मार खाकर उसके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो युधिष्ठिरकी सेना सहसा भाग चली ।। विविधा विशिखास्तत्र सम्पतन्त: परस्परम्
saḥasā prādravad rājan sūtaputraśarārditam | vividhā viśikhās tatra sampatantaḥ parasparam ||
Sañjaya said: O King, the army—pierced and harried by the arrows of Karṇa, the son of a charioteer—suddenly broke and fled. There, countless kinds of shafts flew in, striking and crossing one another, as the battle’s violence surged beyond restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming force and fear can collapse even a large host, reminding readers that in war, morale and steadiness are as decisive as numbers. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: martial excellence (kṣatriya prowess) produces real consequences—panic, suffering, and disorder—underscoring the grave cost of adharma-driven conflict.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Yudhiṣṭhira’s forces, wounded by Karṇa’s arrows, suddenly flee. The battlefield is depicted as saturated with missiles—arrows of many kinds crossing and striking mutually—signaling an intense escalation of combat.