Shloka 246
समकम्पन्त सैन्यानि पाण्डवानां विशाम्पते । प्रजानाथ! उन्हें युद्धके मुहानेसे हटकर एक किनारे आया देख उधर खड़ी हुई पाण्डवोंकी सेनाएँ थर-थर काँपने लगीं
samakampanta sainyāni pāṇḍavānāṃ viśāmpate | prajānātha! yuddha-mukhāt apakramya ekānte āgataṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā tatra sthitāḥ pāṇḍava-senyāḥ tharatharākampanta ||
Sañjaya dit : «Ô seigneur des peuples, lorsqu’ils le virent se retirer de la gueule même du combat et se porter sur un flanc, les troupes des Pāṇḍava qui s’y tenaient se mirent à trembler violemment.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective morale can shift in war: a single tactical movement—withdrawal from the battle-front—can be read as threat, strategy, or omen, producing fear and instability. Implicitly, it cautions that dharma in conflict is tested not only by weapons but by steadiness of mind.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the Pandava troops, seeing a key figure move away from the immediate battle-front and come to one side, begin to tremble. The scene emphasizes battlefield perception and the ripple effect of movements among formations.