Shloka 19
ते वध्यमाना: समरे पञ्चाला: सृञ्जयै: सह । तृणप्रस्पन्दनाच्चापि सूतपुत्र सम मेनिरे,समरांगणमें मारे जाते हुए पांचाल और सूंजय एक तिनकेके हिल जानेसे भी सूतपुत्र कर्णको ही आया हुआ मानने लगते थे
te vadhyamānāḥ samare pañcālāḥ sṛñjayaiḥ saha | tṛṇapraspandanāc cāpi sūtaputraṃ samam menire ||
Sañjaya said: As the Pāñcālas, together with the Sṛñjayas, were being cut down in battle, they came to think that even the mere quivering of a blade of grass meant the arrival of Karṇa, the charioteer’s son. Such was the dread his presence inspired on the field—so that fear itself began to read omens into the smallest movement.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and reputation shape perception in war: when a warrior’s fame for destruction becomes overwhelming, the mind interprets even trivial signs as proof of imminent danger. Ethically, it shows how violence breeds panic and how psychological collapse can precede physical defeat.
During the Drona Parva battles, the Pāñcālas and Sṛñjayas are being heavily attacked. In that desperate state, they assume that even a slight rustle—like grass trembling—signals Karṇa’s arrival, indicating the terror his presence inspires among the opposing troops.