Shloka 266
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
नाशवनुवन् वारयितुं भीष्मबाणप्रपीडितान् । पाण्डव वीर बहुत प्रयत्न करनेपर भी भीष्मके बाणोंसे पीड़ित होकर भागते हुए अपने महारथियोंको रोक नहीं पा रहे थे
nāśakanuvan vārayituṃ bhīṣmabāṇaprapīḍitān | pāṇḍavā vīrā bahu prayatnaṃ kṛtvāpi bhīṣmasya bāṇaiḥ pīḍitāḥ palāyamānān svān mahārathīn vārayituṃ na śekuḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: Aun tras grandes esfuerzos, los héroes Pāṇḍava no pudieron contener a sus propios grandes guerreros de carro, que—atormentados por las flechas de Bhīṣma—huían del campo. La escena muestra cómo, en la guerra, el valor y la intención pueden ser vencidos por una fuerza superior y por el miedo, y cómo se pone a prueba el mando cuando las propias filas empiezan a quebrarse.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of personal effort in the face of overwhelming force and panic: even brave leaders may fail to control their own troops when fear spreads. Ethically, it points to the severe tests of kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness, discipline, and command—under extreme battlefield pressure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma’s arrow-barrage has so shaken the Pāṇḍava side that some of their elite chariot-warriors begin to flee, and the Pāṇḍava heroes, despite repeated attempts, cannot stop them.