Shloka 19
उनमेंसे चार सौ वीर महारथी यत्नपूर्वक लड़ते रहे, जिन्हें अर्जुनने अपने पैने बाणोंसे यमलोक पहुँचा दिया ।।
te vadhyamānāḥ samare nānāliṅgaiḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | arjunaṃ samabhityajya dudruvuḥ diśo daśa ||
Sañjaya said: Struck down in the thick of battle by Arjuna’s razor-sharp arrows, marked with various emblems, those warriors—unable to withstand the onslaught—abandoned Arjuna’s front and fled in all ten directions. The scene underscores the moral weight of war: valor collapses when confronted by overwhelming skill and fate, and the battlefield becomes a test not only of arms but of resolve and duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, courage is tested by overwhelming force and skill; when duty and resolve fail, even great fighters may abandon the fight. It implicitly contrasts steadfastness in kṣatriya-dharma with panic-driven flight.
Sañjaya reports that warriors, struck by Arjuna’s sharp, emblem-marked arrows, could not endure the assault; they left Arjuna’s vicinity and scattered, fleeing in all ten directions.