Shloka 13
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
य एनमीयु: समरे त्वद्योधा: शूरमानिन:,प्रलीनमीनमकरं सागराम्भ इवाभवत् | संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! उस समय अर्जुनके द्वारा खींचे जानेवाले गाण्डीव धनुषकी अत्यन्त भयंकर टंकार यमराजकी सुस्पष्ट गर्जना तथा इन्द्रके वज्रकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान जान पड़ती थी। उसे सुनकर आपकी सेना भयसे उद्विग्न हो बड़ी घबराहटमें पड़ गयी। उस समय उसकी दशा प्रलयकालकी आँधीसे क्षोभको प्राप्त एवं उत्ताल तरंगोंसे परिपूर्ण हुए उस महासागरके जलकी-सी हो गयी, जिसमें मछली और मगर आदि जलजन्तु छिप जाते हैं
ya enam īyuḥ samare tvadīyodhāḥ śūramāninaḥ, pralīnamīnamakaraṃ sāgarāmbha ivābhavat |
Sañjaya said: O King, when your warriors—proud of their valor—advanced against him in battle, they became like the waters of the ocean at the time of dissolution, where fish and crocodiles hide away. Hearing the dreadful twang of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva—like Yama’s clear roar and the thunder of Indra’s thunderbolt—your army was shaken with fear and fell into great confusion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride in one’s own prowess (śūramāna) can collapse under the reality of superior force and terror; in war, psychological shock—symbolized by the Gāṇḍīva’s twang—can rout even confident fighters, reminding leaders to judge strength and morale soberly rather than through vanity.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as Kaurava warriors moved toward Arjuna, the terrifying sound of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva unnerved the army; they became agitated and confused, compared to an ocean in cosmic dissolution where aquatic creatures hide in fear.