Mahabharata 7.194.71 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 194, Shloka 71
ते तु दृष्टवा शिरो राजन् भारद्वाजस्य तावका: । पलायनकृतोत्साहा दुद्गुवु: सर्वती दिशम्
te tu dṛṣṭvā śiro rājan bhāradvājasya tāvakāḥ | palāyanakṛtotsāhā dudruvuḥ sarvatī diśam mahārāja |
Sañjaya dit : «Mais lorsque tes troupes virent la tête tranchée du fils de Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), ô roi, leur courage se tourna tout entier vers la fuite ; saisies de panique, elles s’enfuirent en tous sens, ô grand monarque.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective morale collapses when a revered leader falls: fear spreads, discipline breaks, and an army’s strength dissolves into flight. Ethically, it underscores the human cost of war—victory is not merely tactical but also psychological, and the downfall of a teacher-figure like Droṇa shakes the very foundations of loyalty and resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, upon seeing Droṇa’s severed head, the Kaurava soldiers lose heart. Instead of regrouping, they become intent only on escape and scatter in all directions, marking a sudden rout on the battlefield.
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