Shloka 70
Vāsudeva-Māhātmya: Duryodhana’s Inquiry and Bhīṣma’s Theological Account of Keśava
द्रवते च महासैन्यं पाण्डवस्य महात्मन: । एते च कौरवास्तूर्ण प्रभग्नान् वीक्ष्य सोमकान्,महात्मा पाए्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरकी यह विशाल सेना भागी जा रही है और ये कौरवलोग रणक्षेत्रमें सोमकोंको शीघ्रतापूर्वक भागते देख पितामहका हर्ष बढ़ाते हुए उन्हें खदेड़ रहे हैं; अतः आज पाण्डवोंके लिये कवच धारण किया हुआ मैं स्वयं ही भीष्मको मारे डालता हूँ
sañjaya uvāca | dravate ca mahāsainyaṃ pāṇḍavasya mahātmanaḥ | ete ca kauravās tūrṇaṃ prabhagnān vīkṣya somakān |
Sañjaya said: “The vast army of the noble Pāṇḍava is in flight. And these Kauravas, seeing the Somakas routed, are swiftly pursuing them.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily serves as battlefield reportage rather than explicit moral instruction; implicitly, it highlights the volatility of war—armies can swiftly shift from advance to rout—underscoring the Mahābhārata’s broader reflection on the fragility of power and the heavy consequences of kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava host is retreating and that the Kauravas, noticing the Somaka contingent already broken, are rapidly chasing them, indicating a momentary Kaurava advantage and a collapse of a section of the Pāṇḍava-aligned forces.