Shloka 12
ते शूरा हतभूयिष्ठा हताश्चरथवारणा: । उत्सृज्य भीमकर्णो च सर्वतो व्यद्रवन् दिश:,वे शूरवीर सैनिक जिनमें बहुत-से लोग मारे गये थे तथा जिनके हाथी, घोड़े और रथ नष्ट हो चुके थे, भीमसेन और कर्णको छोड़कर सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें भाग गये
te śūrā hatabhūyiṣṭhā hatāś ca rathavāraṇāḥ | utsṛjya bhīmakarṇau ca sarvato vyadravan diśaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Those warriors—mostly slain, their chariots and elephants ruined, and their hopes broken—fled in all directions, abandoning even Bhīma and Karṇa amid the rout. The verse underscores how, when the supports of war (leaders, vehicles, and morale) collapse, fear overrides loyalty and discipline, and the battlefield turns into a test of steadiness rather than mere strength.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of courage when collective morale and material supports collapse: in war, ethical steadiness and disciplined loyalty are tested, and many abandon comrades when fear overwhelms duty.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield rout: many warriors, largely decimated and with their chariots and elephants destroyed, flee in all directions, leaving behind even prominent fighters Bhīma and Karṇa.