Shloka 9
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
कांदिग्भूता: श्रान्तपत्रा हताश्वा हतचेतस: । अन्योन्यमभिसंश्लिष्य योधास्ते भरतर्षभ,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
sañjaya uvāca | kāndigbhūtāḥ śrāntapatrā hatāśvā hatacetasaḥ | anyonyam abhisaṃśliṣya yodhās te bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, your warriors, bewildered about the directions, with their chariots’ fittings and gear worn out, their horses slain, and their spirits broken, clung closely to one another. In their distress they sought refuge—huddling together as if only Bhīṣma, the son of Śantanu, could offer shelter amid the terror of the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the collapse of morale in war and the human impulse to seek a stabilizing refuge under a trusted protector. Ethically, it underscores how leadership and steadfastness (here embodied by Bhīṣma) become a form of shelter when fear and confusion overwhelm ordinary resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava fighters have become disoriented and demoralized—horses killed, equipment worn, minds shaken—and they cluster together, effectively taking shelter under Bhīṣma, who appears to them as the only reliable refuge on the battlefield.