Shloka 266
नाशवनुवन् वारयितुं भीष्मबाणप्रपीडितान् । पाण्डव वीर बहुत प्रयत्न करनेपर भी भीष्मके बाणोंसे पीड़ित होकर भागते हुए अपने महारथियोंको रोक नहीं पा रहे थे
nāśakanuvan vārayituṃ bhīṣmabāṇaprapīḍitān | pāṇḍavā vīrā bahu prayatnaṃ kṛtvāpi bhīṣmasya bāṇaiḥ pīḍitāḥ palāyamānān svān mahārathīn vārayituṃ na śekuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Even after making great efforts, the Pāṇḍava heroes could not restrain their own great chariot-warriors, who—tormented by Bhīṣma’s arrows—were fleeing from the field. The scene underscores how, in war, sheer valor and intention can be overborne by superior force and fear, and how leadership is tested when one’s own ranks begin to break.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of personal effort in the face of overwhelming force and panic: even brave leaders may fail to control their own troops when fear spreads. Ethically, it points to the severe tests of kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness, discipline, and command—under extreme battlefield pressure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma’s arrow-barrage has so shaken the Pāṇḍava side that some of their elite chariot-warriors begin to flee, and the Pāṇḍava heroes, despite repeated attempts, cannot stop them.