Shloka 17
ते वध्यमाना: समरे पार्थचापच्युतै: शरै: । तत्र तत्र सम लीयन्ते भये जाते महारथा:,अर्जुनके धनुषसे छूटे हुए बाणोंद्वारा समरांगणमें मारे जाते हुए कौरव-महारथी भयके मारे इधर-उधर छिपने लगे
te vadhyamānāḥ samare pārthacāpacyutaiḥ śaraiḥ | tatra tatra sama līyante bhaye jāte mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Frappés à mort dans la bataille par les flèches parties de l’arc de Pārtha, les grands guerriers de char kaurava, saisis de peur, se mirent à se cacher çà et là. La scène montre que même des combattants illustres, face à une prouesse écrasante, peuvent passer de l’orgueil à la panique, révélant la fragilité morale que la guerre met à nu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the instability of worldly valor: reputation and rank (mahāratha status) can collapse into fear when confronted with superior force. In the ethical frame of the epic, it suggests that inner steadiness and righteous resolve matter as much as martial skill, and that war tests character by exposing panic, attachment to life, and the limits of pride.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna’s arrows, shot from his bow, are cutting down the opposing champions. Overwhelmed, the Kaurava elite chariot-warriors begin to scatter and hide in different places on the battlefield, indicating a moment of tactical and psychological breakdown under Arjuna’s assault.