Shloka 19
भीष्मवधोपाय-प्रश्नः (Inquiry into the means to overcome Bhīṣma) | Chapter 103
तेनादिता महाराज भारती सा महाचमू: । व्यभ्रमत् तत्र तत्रैव योषिन्मदवशादिव,महाराज! अभिमन्युसे पीड़ित हुई भरतवंशियोंकी वह विशाल सेना मदोन्मत्त युवतीकी भाँति वहीं चक्कर काट रही थी
tenāditā mahārāja bhāratī sā mahācamūḥ | vyabhramat tatra tatraiva yoṣinmada-vaśād iva, mahārāja |
Sañjaya dit : Ô Roi, frappée et jetée dans la confusion par lui, cette vaste armée des Bhārata chancela çà et là, tournoyant sur place même—telle une femme enivrée et dominée par la passion—sous la pression de l’assaut d’Abhimanyu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that when an army loses composure and coordination, it becomes helpless despite its size; self-mastery and disciplined action—embodied by the attacker—can overturn numerical strength. Ethically, it warns that frenzy and loss of restraint (mada-vaśa) lead to collapse, while steadiness and skill sustain righteous effectiveness in crisis.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Abhimanyu’s onslaught has shaken the Bharata/Kuru forces so severely that the great host reels and circles in confusion on the battlefield, unable to hold formation, as if intoxicated and driven by overpowering impulse.