Shloka 15
रथचिह्नवर्णनम् / Description of Chariot Standards and Allied Advances
भ्रमरैरिव चाविष्टा द्रोणस्य निशितै: शरै: । अन्योन्यं समलीयन्त पलायनपरायणा:,भ्रमरोंके समान द्रोणके पैने बाणोंसे घायल होकर ये रणभूमिसे पलायन करते हुए एक-दूसरेकी आउडमें छिप रहे हैं
bhramarair iva cāviṣṭā droṇasya niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ | anyonyaṃ samalīyanta palāyanaparāyaṇāḥ ||
Duryodhana dit : «Piqués et bourdonnants comme un essaim d’abeilles, frappés par les flèches acérées de Droṇa, eux—ne songeant qu’à fuir—se pressent les uns contre les autres, cherchant abri derrière leurs compagnons pour s’arracher au champ de bataille.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear can collapse discipline and courage in war: when overwhelmed by a superior warrior’s force, soldiers abandon duty and seek safety even at the cost of dignity, revealing the ethical tension between self-preservation and kṣatriya responsibility.
Duryodhana describes troops being struck by Droṇa’s sharp arrows; panicked and focused on fleeing, they crowd together and hide behind one another, like people beset by a swarm of bees.