Shloka 24
सा वध्यमाना समरे धार्तराष्ट्री महाचमू: । वेगान् बहुविधांक्षक्रे विषं पीत्वेव मानव:,युद्धक्षेत्रमें इरावानसे पीड़ित होकर आपकी विशाल सेना विषपान किये हुए मनुष्यकी भाँति नाना प्रकारसे उद्वेग प्रकट करने लगी
sā vadhyamānā samare dhārtarāṣṭrī mahācamūḥ | vegān bahuvidhāṁś cakre viṣaṁ pītv eva mānavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As it was being struck down in the battle, the great Kaurava host—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s army—began to show many kinds of agitation, like a man who has drunk poison. The scene underscores how, when violence and fear overtake an army, composure and right judgment collapse, and the collective mind is driven into frantic, self-destructive turmoil.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how violence and terror can intoxicate the mind like poison: once an army is overwhelmed by fear and losses, it loses steadiness and discernment, producing chaotic reactions. Ethically, it points to the destructive psychological fallout of adharma-driven conflict and the need for disciplined leadership and inner control.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava host, under heavy attack and being cut down in battle, begins to display many forms of agitation—confusion, panic, and frantic movement—compared to the convulsions of a person who has consumed poison.