Shloka 88
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
मार्गान् बहून् विचरता धावता च ततस्ततः । मुहुरुत्पतता चैव सम्मोह: समपद्यत
sañjaya uvāca | mārgān bahūn vicaratā dhāvatā ca tatastataḥ | muhur utpatatā caiva sammohaḥ samapadyata, rājan |
Sañjaya dit : «Ô roi, tandis qu’il parcourait maints passages et courait de-ci de-là, et tandis qu’il bondissait sans cesse, une panique étourdissante s’empara du champ. Tel un éléphant seigneurial au cœur de la mêlée, les mouvements de Bhîmasena et la terreur qu’il inspirait firent trembler les soldats et leurs montures, et la confusion se répandit sur tous.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and confusion (sammoha) can overtake an army when confronted with overwhelming force and unpredictable movement; in war, mental steadiness is as decisive as weapons.
Sanjaya describes Bhimasena moving rapidly across many routes on the battlefield—running, roaming, and repeatedly leaping—so that the opposing troops and their mounts begin to tremble and a general panic spreads.