Shloka 19
सैन्यसंनिवेशः (Sainyasaṃniveśaḥ) — Deployment, Omens, and Yuddha-Dharma Conventions
यथा सिंहस्य नदतः स्वनं श्रुत्वेतरे मृगा: । त्रसेयुनिनिदं श्रुत्वा तथासीदत तद्धलम्,जैसे गर्जते हुए सिंहकी आवाज सुनकर दूसरे वन्य पशु भयभीत हो जाते हैं, उसी प्रकार उन दोनोंका शंखनाद सुनकर कौरवसेनाका उत्साह शिथिल पड़ गया--वह खिन्न-सी हो गयी
yathā siṁhasya nadataḥ svanaṁ śrutvetare mṛgāḥ | traseyur ninidaṁ śrutvā tathāsīdat tad balam ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Just as the other beasts of the forest tremble on hearing the roar of a lion, so too, upon hearing that thunderous blare, the Kaurava host’s spirit slackened and their confidence sank into dejection. The verse underscores how moral and psychological force can decide the temper of battle even before weapons are joined.
वैशग्पायन उवाच