Shloka 8
भीमसेनस्य कौरवसुतवधः तथा श्रुतर्वावधः
Slaying of Kaurava princes and the fall of Śrutarvā
दुद्रुवु: केचिदुत्सृज्य तत्र तत्र विशाम्पते । बहवोऊत्र भृशं विद्धा मुहामाना महारथा:,नरव्याप्र! कोई पिताको पुकारते थे, कोई सहायकोंको। प्रजानाथ! कुछ लोग अपने भाई-बन्धुओं और सगे-सम्बन्धियोंको जहाँ-के-तहाँ छोड़कर भाग गये। बहुत-से महारथी पार्थके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त घायल हो मूर्च्छित हो रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca |
dudruvuḥ kecid utsṛjya tatra tatra viśāmpate |
bahavo 'tra bhṛśaṃ viddhā muhyamānā mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, some fled in panic, abandoning their posts here and there. Many great chariot-warriors, grievously pierced, were losing consciousness—overwhelmed by the shock of Arjuna’s arrows. The scene shows how, when fear and pain seize the mind, even the mighty may forget duty and scatter, leaving comrades behind.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and injury can shatter resolve: even renowned warriors may abandon positions and comrades when the mind is overwhelmed. Implicitly it contrasts steadfastness in dharma with the moral and psychological collapse that war can induce.
Sañjaya reports to the king that, under intense assault, some fighters flee in different directions, leaving others behind. Many elite chariot-warriors are badly wounded and begin to faint, struck down by the force of Arjuna’s arrows.