Shloka 4
प्रह्ृष्टवित्रस्तविषण्णविस्मिता- स्तथा परे शोकहता इवाभवन् । परे त्वदीयाश्व॒ परस्परेण यथायथीषां प्रकृतिस्तथाभवन्
prahṛṣṭavitrastaviṣaṇṇavismitās tathā pare śokahatā ivābhavan | pare tvadīyāś ca paraspareṇa yathāyathīṣāṃ prakṛtis tathābhavan ||
Sañjaya said: Some were exhilarated, some terrified, some dejected, and some struck with amazement; others seemed as though crushed by grief. But your own men, too, reacted in different ways toward one another—each according to his own nature—showing that in the turmoil of war, inner disposition governs outward conduct as much as allegiance does.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in war and crisis, people respond according to their innate disposition (prakṛti): joy, fear, despair, amazement, or grief. Ethical judgment and leadership must account for this diversity of temperament rather than assuming uniform courage or loyalty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra the varied emotional reactions among the warriors—some elated, some terrified, some despondent, some astonished, and some grief-stricken—and notes that even within Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s own side, men behaved toward one another differently, each according to his nature.