Shloka 9
ततः प्रभग्ना सहसा महाचमू: सा पाण्डवी तेन नराधिपेन । दिशश्चतस्र: सहसा विधाविता गजेन्द्रवेगं तमपारयन्ती,म्लेच्छशज शाल्वने पाण्डवोंकी उस विशाल सेनामें सहसा भगदड़ मचा दी। उस गजराजके वेगको सहन न कर सकनेके कारण वह सेना तत्काल चारों दिशाओंमें भाग चली! उस वेगशालिनी सेनाको भागती देख युद्धस्थलमें खड़े हुए आपके सभी प्रधान- प्रधान योद्धा म्लेच्छशाज शाल्वकी प्रशंसा करने और चन्द्रमाके समान उज्ज्वल शंख बजाने लगे
tataḥ prabhagnā sahasā mahācamūḥ sā pāṇḍavī tena narādhipena | diśaś catasraḥ sahasā vidhāvitā gajendravegaṃ tam apārayantī ||
Sañjaya said: Then, all at once, that vast Pāṇḍava host broke in disorder because of that king. Unable to withstand the onrush like that of a lordly elephant, the army suddenly fled in all four directions. Seeing that swift host in flight, the foremost warriors standing on your side began to praise the Mleccha-king Śālva and to sound their bright, moon-like conches on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective morale can collapse under overwhelming force, and how battlefield acclaim (praise and conch-blasts) is used to amplify perceived superiority—an ethical reminder that victory and fear often spread through psychological contagion as much as through weapons.
Śālva’s charge is described as having the force of a great elephant; the Pāṇḍava host cannot endure it and scatters in all directions. Seeing this, the leading warriors on Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s side praise Śālva and blow their conches in triumph.