Shloka 29
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
तस्य शब्देन वित्रेसुर्भयार्ताश्च विदुद्र॒ुवु: । मुमुचुश्नाश्रु शोकार्ता: शुशुचुश्चापि सैन्धवा:
tasya śabdena vitrēsurbhayārtāś ca vidudruvuḥ | mumucuś cāśru śokārtāḥ śuśucuś cāpi saindhavāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dit : À ce son, ils frémirent d’effroi ; ceux que la peur accablait s’enfuirent en tous sens. Et les guerriers saindhavas, submergés de chagrin, laissèrent couler leurs larmes et se lamentèrent à haute voix—tant la vibration de la Gāṇḍīva était terrible, brisant leur courage et annonçant la ruine.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner states—fear and grief—can collapse martial resolve even before weapons strike. In the epic’s ethical frame, true strength is not only physical prowess but steadiness of mind; panic leads to flight, while attachment and loss lead to lamentation.
A formidable sound—understood in context as the twang of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva—reverberates across the field. Hearing it, many warriors panic and flee, while the Saindhavas, already burdened by impending defeat and loss, weep and mourn.