Shloka 74
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
वध्यमानं तु तत् सैन्यं द्रोणेन निशितैः: शरै: । व्यभ्रमत् तत्र तत्रैव क्षोभ्यमाण इवार्णव:
vadhyamānaṃ tu tat sainyaṃ droṇena niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | vyabhramat tatra tatraiva kṣobhyamāṇa ivārṇavaḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Mientras aquel ejército era segado por Droṇa con sus flechas agudas, se tambaleó y se dispersó de un lado a otro—como el océano que se encrespa cuando es batido y violentamente agitado.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming skill and force in war can dissolve collective order: when fear and shock spread, even a large army loses cohesion. Ethically, it points to the fragility of disciplined duty (dharma in action) under extreme violence, and the responsibility of leaders to maintain steadiness amid turmoil.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield where Droṇa, firing sharp arrows, is slaughtering and pressuring the opposing host. The army, unable to hold formation, swirls and scatters in confusion, compared to an ocean roiled by agitation.