Shloka 29
Chapter 47: Krauñca-vyūha Deployment and Conch-Signals
Kaurava–Pāṇḍava Readiness
न नून॑ क्षत्रियकुले जात: सम्प्रथिते भुवि । यथास्य हृदयं भीतमल्पसत्त्वस्य संयुगे,“निश्चय ही यह भूमण्डलमें विख्यात क्षत्रियोंके कुलमें उत्पन्न नहीं हुआ है। इसका मानसिक बल अत्यन्त अल्प है; इसीलिये युद्धके अवसरपर इसका हृदय इतना भयभीत है!
sañjaya uvāca | na nūnaṃ kṣatriyakule jātaḥ samprathite bhuvi | yathāsya hṛdayaṃ bhītam alpasattvasya saṃyuge ||
“Sungguh, ia tidak lahir dari wangsa Kṣatriya yang termasyhur di muka bumi; sebab pada saat pertempuran hatinya demikian gentar—daya batinnya amat kecil.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield fear as a failure of Kshatriya-appropriate steadiness: a warrior’s dharma requires inner firmness (sattva/bala) and resolve under crisis, and cowardice is portrayed as ethically and socially disqualifying.
Sanjaya reports a harsh assessment of a combatant’s state of mind: seeing his heart overwhelmed by fear at the moment of fighting, he concludes that such weakness is unworthy of a famed Kshatriya lineage.