Shloka 14

Devanagari script

सनागप्त्त्यश्वरथा दिशो दश तथा यथा सिंहहता वनौकस: । जैसे सिंहके द्वारा घायल किये हुए जंगली पशु सब ओर भागने लगते हैं, उसी प्रकार उन नरश्रेष्ठ वीरोंके द्वारा बाणोंसे पीड़ित किये हुए कौरव तथा पाण्डव-सैनिक हाथी, घोड़े, रथ और पैदलोंसहित दसों दिशाओंमें भाग खड़े हुए ।।

Transliteration

sanāgapattyaśvarathā diśo daśa tathā yathā siṁhahatā vanaukasaḥ | yathā siṁhena viddhā vanacarāḥ sarvato dhāvanti tathā te nararṣabhaiḥ śarair viddhāḥ kauravapāṇḍavāḥ sainyāḥ hastyaśvarathapattibhiḥ saha daśa diśo vidudruvuḥ ||

Translation

संजय बोले—जैसे सिंह से आहत वनचर प्राणी दसों दिशाओं में भागते हैं, वैसे ही उन नरश्रेष्ठों के बाणों से पीड़ित कौरव-पाण्डव सैनिक हाथी, घोड़े, रथ और पैदल सहित दसों दिशाओं में भाग खड़े हुए।

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'diśaḥ (daśa diśaḥ)', 'definition': 'the directions (the ten quarters)'}, {'term': 'yathā … tathā', 'definition': 'just as … so also (comparative construction)'}, {'term': 'siṁha', 'definition': 'lion'}, {'term': 'hata / viddha', 'definition': 'struck, wounded, slain / pierced (by weapons)'}, {'term': 'vanaukasaḥ / vanacarāḥ', 'definition': 'forest-dwellers

• wild animals'}, {'term': 'nararṣabha / narśreṣṭha', 'definition': 'bull among men

• foremost hero'}, {'term': 'śara', 'definition': 'arrow'}, {'term': 'sainyāḥ', 'definition': 'troops, army units'}, {'term': 'kaurava-pāṇḍavāḥ', 'definition': 'the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas (their forces)'}, {'term': 'hasti-aśva-ratha-patti', 'definition': 'elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry'}, {'term': 'vidudruvuḥ / dhāvanti', 'definition': 'they fled / they run'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kauravas (troops)
• Pāṇḍavas (troops)
• lion (simile)
• wild animals/forest creatures (simile)
• elephants
• horses
• chariots
• infantry
• ten directions (daśa diśaḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how quickly collective strength collapses when fear overrides discipline: in adharma-driven conflict, even mighty forces become unstable, and the immediate ethical lesson is the fragility of power that lacks inner steadiness (dhairya) and right purpose (dharma).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a sudden rout on the battlefield: struck by the arrows of leading warriors, both Kaurava and Pāṇḍava soldiers—together with elephants, horses, chariots, and infantry—scatter and flee in all directions, compared to wild animals fleeing a lion.