Shloka 29
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
ततः कर्णसुतात् त्रस्ता: सोमका विद्रदुद्रुव॒ुः । यथेन्द्रभयवित्रस्ता दानवास्तारकामये
tataḥ karṇasutāt trastāḥ somakā vidravad drutam | yathendrabhayavitrastā dānavās tārakāmaye ||
Sañjaya said: Then the Somakas, terrified by Karṇa’s son, fled swiftly—just as the Dānavas, shaken by fear of Indra, once scattered in the battle for Tārakā. The verse underscores how fear and the momentum of a powerful warrior can break formations, turning courage into rout on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical and practical truth of war: collective resolve can collapse under sudden terror, and a single warrior’s perceived dominance can trigger panic and flight. It implicitly warns that courage and discipline are as decisive as weapons.
Sañjaya reports that the Somakas, struck with fear by Karṇa’s son, break and flee rapidly. To convey the scale of their panic, he compares it to the Dānavas scattering in fear of Indra during the famed conflict connected with Tārakā.