Shloka 366
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
अभज्यत महाराज न च द्वौ सह धावत: । महाराज! महेन्द्रके समान पराक्रमी भीष्मकी मार खाकर वह विशाल सेना इस प्रकार तितर-बितर हुई कि उसके दो-दो सैनिक भी एक साथ नहीं भाग सकते थे
abhajyata mahārāja na ca dvau saha dhāvataḥ |
Sañjaya said: O King, that army was shattered; and in its rout, not even two men could flee together. Struck down by Bhīṣma—whose prowess was like that of Mahendra (Indra)—the great host broke apart in panic, each man thinking only of his own survival, as the moral order of battle gave way to fear under overwhelming force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming valor and disciplined force can collapse an army’s cohesion: when courage and order fail, even comrades cannot remain united. Ethically, it underscores the fragility of collective resolve in war and the responsibility of leaders and warriors to uphold steadiness (dhairya) and duty (dharma) amid terror.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma, compared in might to Indra, has struck the opposing forces so powerfully that the great army breaks and scatters. The rout is so complete that soldiers cannot even flee in pairs; they disperse individually in panic.