Shloka 74
प्रभग्नं च बल॑ दृष्टवा वध्यमानं महारथै: । पराड्मुखांश्व राज्ञस्तु पलायनपरायणान्
prabhagnaṃ ca balaṃ dṛṣṭvā vadhyamānaṃ mahārathaiḥ | parāṅmukhāṃś ca rājñas tu palāyanaparāyaṇān ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Voyant l’armée disloquée et taillée en pièces par les grands guerriers de char, et voyant les rois le visage détourné—tout entiers voués à la fuite—(il constata l’effondrement de la résolution au cœur de la mêlée).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical crisis of war: when an army breaks and leaders turn to flight, collective morale collapses. It implicitly contrasts kṣatriya ideals of steadfastness and protection with the human reality of fear and self-preservation under overwhelming violence.
The narrator describes a battlefield moment where the force has been routed and is being slaughtered by elite warriors; many kings have turned away from the fight and are focused on escaping, signaling a decisive breakdown in resistance.