Shloka 11
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
समुत्पतन्ति वित्रस्ता रथेभ्यो रथिनस्तथा । सादिनश्चाश्वपृछठे भ्यो भूमी चापि पदातय:
samutpatanti vitrastā rathebhyo rathinas tathā | sādinaś cāśvapṛṣṭhebhyo bhūmīṃ cāpi padātayaḥ ||
संजय बोले—वे सब इतने भयभीत हो गए कि रथी रथों से उछलकर गिरने लगे; घुड़सवार घोड़ों की पीठ से गिर पड़े; और पैदल सैनिक भी भूमि पर गिरकर लोटने लगे।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear (bhaya) can overpower training and duty, breaking cohesion and judgment in war; it implicitly contrasts steadiness and self-control with panic that leads to collapse.
Sañjaya describes a sudden wave of terror on the battlefield: chariot-fighters fall from chariots, horsemen from horses, and infantry collapse on the ground, indicating widespread disarray.