Shloka 69
ततः परानाविशदुत्तमं भयं समीक्ष्य भूमौ पतितं नरोत्तमम् | अहीयमानं च बलेन कौरवं निशाम्य भेदं सुदृढस्य वर्मण:,राजन! तदनन्तर यह देखकर कि भीमसेनका सुदृढ़ कवच छित्न-भिन्न हो गया, नरश्रेष्ठ भीम धराशायी हो गये और कुरुराज दुर्योधनका बल क्षीण नहीं हो रहा है, शत्रुओंके मनमें बड़ा भारी भय समा गया
tataḥ parān āviśad uttamaṁ bhayaṁ samīkṣya bhūmau patitaṁ narottamam | ahīyamānaṁ ca balena kauravaṁ niśāmya bhedaṁ sudṛḍhasya varmaṇaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then a supreme fear seized the enemy ranks when they saw the best of men fallen upon the ground; and when they observed that the Kaurava’s strength was not diminishing, even after the breach of that firm armour. In the moral atmosphere of the war, the sight of a mighty warrior brought low while the opposing king remained unshaken intensified dread and uncertainty, reminding all how swiftly fortune turns on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the volatility of battlefield fortune and the psychological dimension of dharma-yuddha: morale can collapse when a champion falls, and fear spreads when an opponent appears undiminished despite damage inflicted.
Sañjaya reports that the opposing ranks are gripped by intense fear upon seeing a foremost warrior fallen on the ground and noticing that the Kaurava leader’s strength does not wane even after his firm armour has been breached.