Shloka 8
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
दिशं प्राची प्रतीचीं च न जानीमो<स्त्रमोहिता:,उस समय हमलोग उनके अस्त्रोंसे इतने मोहित हो गये थे कि हमें पूर्व और पश्चिमका भी पता नहीं चलता था। भरतश्रेष्ठ] आपके सभी योद्धा घबराकर यह सोचने लगे कि हम किस दिशामें जायँँ। उनके सारे वाहन थक गये थे। कितनोंके घोड़े मार डाले गये थे। उन सबका हार्दिक उत्साह नष्ट हो गया था। वे सब-के-सब एक-दूसरेसे सटकर आपके पुत्रोंके साथ भीष्मजीकी ही शरणमें छिपने लगे। उस युद्धस्थलमें उन्हें केवल शान्तनुनन्दन भीष्म ही आर्त सैनिकोंको शरण देनेवाले प्रतीत हुए
diśaṁ prācīṁ pratīcīṁ ca na jānīmo ’stramohitāḥ |
Sañjaya said: Bewildered by the spell of those missiles, we could no longer even tell east from west. In that confusion, your warriors lost their bearings and courage, unsure which way to move, their mounts exhausted and many horses slain. With their inner resolve broken, they pressed close together and, along with your sons, sought refuge in Bhīṣma alone—on that battlefield, Śāntanava Bhīṣma appeared to them as the sole protector and shelter for the distressed.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming violence and spectacle can shatter discernment (even basic orientation), and how, in crisis, armies instinctively seek a stabilizing protector. Ethically, it points to the battlefield reality that courage and clarity are fragile, and leadership is measured by the capacity to offer shelter and steadiness amid panic.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava side became disoriented under the impact of powerful missiles. Their troops, exhausted and demoralized, clustered together and took shelter with Bhīṣma, who seemed to them the only reliable refuge on the field.