Shloka 33
Śaineya–Bhūriśravas: Genealogy, Svayaṃvara Contest, and the Maheśvara Boon
तान् दृष्टवा प्रद्रुतान् संख्ये सात्वतेन शरार्दितान् | प्रभग्नं पुनरेवासीत् तव सैन्यं समाकुलम्,सात्यकिके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो उन सबको युद्धस्थलसे पलायन करते देख आपकी संगठित हुई सारी सेना पुनः भाग खड़ी हुई
tān dṛṣṭvā pradrutān saṅkhye sātvatenā śarārditān | prabhagnaṃ punar evāsīt tava sainyaṃ samākulam ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing them fleeing in the thick of battle—wounded and harassed by the arrows of the Sātvata (Sātyaki)—your army, though it had been gathered and set in order, once again broke and scattered in confusion. The verse underscores how fear and loss of cohesion can undo even a numerically strong force when confronted by a resolute and skillful warrior.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in war, cohesion and courage are as decisive as numbers: when warriors lose steadiness under pressure, even a reorganized force can collapse again. Ethically, it points to the kṣatriya ideal of standing firm rather than yielding to panic.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kaurava fighters, struck by Sātyaki’s arrows, begin to flee; witnessing this flight, the rest of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s army again becomes disordered and routs in confusion.