Shloka 246
समकम्पन्त सैन्यानि पाण्डवानां विशाम्पते । प्रजानाथ! उन्हें युद्धके मुहानेसे हटकर एक किनारे आया देख उधर खड़ी हुई पाण्डवोंकी सेनाएँ थर-थर काँपने लगीं
samakampanta sainyāni pāṇḍavānāṃ viśāmpate | prajānātha! yuddha-mukhāt apakramya ekānte āgataṃ taṃ dṛṣṭvā tatra sthitāḥ pāṇḍava-senyāḥ tharatharākampanta ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai pelindung rakyat, wahai raja para bangsa! Ketika mereka melihat dia mundur dari mulut pertempuran dan bergerak ke satu sisi, pasukan Pandawa yang berdiri di sana pun gemetar hebat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective morale can shift in war: a single tactical movement—withdrawal from the battle-front—can be read as threat, strategy, or omen, producing fear and instability. Implicitly, it cautions that dharma in conflict is tested not only by weapons but by steadiness of mind.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the Pandava troops, seeing a key figure move away from the immediate battle-front and come to one side, begin to tremble. The scene emphasizes battlefield perception and the ripple effect of movements among formations.