Shloka 436
अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
अनुसारभयाद् भीता: प्राड्मुखा: प्राद्रवन् पुनः । वे गरम-गरम लंबी साँस खींचते हुए पाण्डवोंकी ही चिन्ता करने लगे। इतनेहीमें विजयाभिलाषी पाण्डवोंकी भयंकर गर्जना सुनकर उन्हें यह भय हुआ कि पाण्डव कहीं हमारा पीछा न करने लगें; अतः वे पुनः घोड़ोंको रथमें जोतकर पूर्व दिशाकी ओर भाग चले
anusārabhayād bhītāḥ prāṅmukhāḥ prādravan punaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Struck with fear of being pursued, they again fled with their faces turned eastward. Hearing the dreadful roar of the victory-seeking Pāṇḍavas, they suspected that the Pāṇḍavas might chase them; therefore, they once more yoked the horses to the chariot and sped away toward the eastern direction.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how fear—born from uncertainty and the moral weight of violent deeds—can overpower strategic thinking, driving people to flee and act defensively. It suggests that inner turmoil and anticipated retribution often follow acts done in the heat of war.
Those on the run hear the terrifying roar of the Pāṇḍavas, fear that they will be chased, quickly yoke their horses to the chariot again, and escape toward the east. Sañjaya narrates this movement as part of the tense aftermath surrounding the night-raid context of the Sauptika Parva.