Shloka 16
पुत्रानन्ये पितृनन्ये भ्रातृनन्ये च मातुलान्,कोई पुत्रोंकी, कोई पिताओंको, कोई भाइयोंको, कोई मामा, भानजों, मित्रों, सम्बन्धियों तथा बन्धु-बान्धवोंको छोड़-छोड़कर अपनी जान बचानेके लिये तुरंत ही भाग चले
putrān anye pitṝn anye bhrātṝn anye ca mātulān
Sañjaya said: In that panic, some abandoned their sons, others their fathers; some left their brothers and even their maternal uncles behind. Casting off nephews, friends, kinsmen, and all their close relations, they fled at once—driven by the single urge to save their own lives. The scene lays bare how fear in war can shatter familial duty and social bonds, reducing men to self-preservation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how terror in war can overpower dharma and affection, causing people to forsake even the closest family ties. It implicitly contrasts self-preservation with the ethical ideal of steadfastness and responsibility, especially expected of warriors and leaders in crisis.
Sañjaya describes a moment of battlefield rout: combatants, seized by fear, scatter immediately and abandon relatives—sons, fathers, brothers, and maternal uncles—showing a collapse of order and solidarity amid the violence.