Shloka 64
शल्यस्य पाण्डवसेनापीडनम् — Śalya’s Assault on the Pāṇḍava Host
with Omens and Bhīma’s Counter
पाण्डवैरवकीर्णानां सम्मोह: समजायत | न च जज्ञुस्त्वनीकानि दिशो वा विदिशस्तथा,पाण्डवोंके बाणोंसे आच्छादित हुए कौरव-योद्धाओंपर मोह छा गया। उन्हें दिशाओं अथवा विदिशाओंका भी ज्ञान न रहा
sañjaya uvāca | pāṇḍavair avakīrṇānāṃ sammohaḥ samajāyata | na ca jajñus tv anīkāni diśo vā vidiśas tathā ||
Sañjaya dit : Lorsque les guerriers Kaurava furent criblés et comme recouverts par l’averse de flèches des Pāṇḍava, l’égarement s’empara d’eux. Dans ce tumulte, ils ne reconnurent plus leurs formations de bataille, ni même les directions et les quartiers intermédiaires — tant leurs sens et leur jugement furent submergés par la pression du combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and sensory overload in war can collapse discernment: when clarity is lost, even basic orientation and organized formation fail. Ethically, it implies that discipline, steadiness of mind, and leadership are crucial to prevent chaos and needless destruction.
Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava fighters, struck and blanketed by the Pāṇḍavas’ arrow-shower, become disoriented. They cannot identify their own troop-divisions or even tell the directions, indicating a breakdown of battlefield order.