Shloka 79
उत्पातवर्णनम् (Utpāta-varṇanam) — Catalogue of Portents
भीतान् भग्नांश्व सम्प्रेक्ष्य भयं भूयोडभिवर्धते । प्रभग्ना सहसा राजन् दिशो विद्रवते चमू:,राजन! भयभीत होकर भागते हुए सैनिकोंको देखकर अन्य योद्धाओंका भय, बहुत अधिक बढ़ जाता है; फिर तो सहसा सारी सेना हतोत्साह होकर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें भागने लगती है
bhītān bhagnāṁś ca samprekṣya bhayaṁ bhūyo 'bhivardhate | prabhagnā sahasā rājan diśo vidravate camūḥ ||
Vyāsa said: “Seeing troops who are terrified and already broken in spirit, fear in the others swells all the more. Then, O King, the whole host—suddenly demoralized—scatters and flees in every direction.”
व्यास उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear is contagious in collective life: when people witness others panic and break ranks, their own courage erodes, leading to rapid, large-scale collapse. The verse implicitly highlights the ethical and strategic responsibility of leaders and warriors to maintain steadiness so that others are not harmed by cascading panic.
Vyāsa describes a battlefield dynamic to the king: once some soldiers are seen fleeing in terror, the remaining fighters’ fear intensifies, and the entire army can suddenly lose heart and run in all directions.