Shloka 50
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
राजन्! उन सबके आगे बढ़ जानेपर धृष्टद्युम्म आदि पाण्डव आपकी सेनाका संहार करते हुए वहाँ आ पहुँचे ।। दृष्टवा तु तानापततः सम्प्रहृष्टानू महारथान् । पराक्रान्तास्ततो वीरा निराशा जीविते तदा,हर्ष और उत्साहमें भरे हुए उन महारथियोंको आक्रमण करते देख आपके पराक्रमी वीर उस समय जीवनसे निराश हो गये
rājan! teṣāṁ sarveṣāṁ atikrānteṣu dhṛṣṭadyumnādayaḥ pāṇḍavāḥ tava senāyāḥ saṁhāraṁ kurvāṇāḥ tatra samupāyayuḥ. dṛṣṭvā tu tān āpatataḥ samprahṛṣṭān mahārathān, parākrāntās tato vīrā nirāśā jīvite tadā.
Sañjaya said: “O King, after those warriors had surged ahead, Dhṛṣṭadyumna and the other Pāṇḍavas arrived there, cutting down your army. Seeing those great chariot-fighters rushing in—exultant and aflame with zeal—your valiant men, despite their prowess, at that moment lost hope of life.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how morale can collapse even among brave warriors when confronted by a determined, jubilant, and forceful assault. In the ethical frame of the epic, it underscores the human cost of war: valor does not guarantee survival, and the sight of relentless opponents can shatter hope.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna and the Pāṇḍavas have reached the spot after others advanced, and they are destroying the Kaurava forces. Seeing the Pāṇḍava mahārathas charge in with joy and enthusiasm, the Kaurava warriors become despairing of their lives.