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 dit : Malgré de grands efforts, les héros Pāṇḍava ne purent retenir leurs propres grands guerriers de char, qui—tourmentés par les flèches de Bhīṣma—fuyaient le champ de bataille. La scène montre comment, dans la guerre, la vaillance et l’intention peuvent être submergées par une force supérieure et par la peur, et comment le commandement est éprouvé lorsque ses propres rangs se disloquent.
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.