Shloka 286
प्राद्रवन्त रणे भीता: सिंहत्रस्ता मृगा इव । महारथी सूतपुत्रने पैने बाणोंसे उन सबको घायल कर दिया। प्रजानाथ! समरमें मारे जाते हुए चेदि और मत्स्य देशके वीर सिंहसे डरे हुए मृगोंके समान रणभूमिमें कर्णसे भयभीत हो भागने लगे
prādravanta raṇe bhītāḥ siṁhatrastā mṛgā iva | mahārathī sūtaputreṇa tīkṣṇaiḥ bāṇaiḥ sarve te viddhāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Terrified on the battlefield, they fled like deer frightened by a lion. The great chariot-warrior Karṇa, the son of a sūta (charioteer), wounded them all with sharp arrows. Thus the Cedi and Matsya heroes—being cut down in the press of war—lost heart and, fearing Karṇa, scattered from the field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can dissolve courage and duty in war: when resolve breaks, even seasoned warriors may abandon the field. It also portrays the ethical tension of kṣātra-dharma—steadfastness in battle—against the human impulse to flee when overwhelmed.
As Karṇa attacks with sharp arrows, the Cedi and Matsya fighters are wounded and begin to retreat in panic. Sañjaya describes their flight through a vivid simile: deer scattering in fear of a lion.