Shloka 163
तव चैव परेषां च गतास्त्रा विगतेषव: । उस समय आपकी और शत्रुओंकी सेनाके समस्त क्षत्रिय उत्साहहीन एवं दीनचित्त हो गये थे; उनके हाथोंसे अस्त्र और बाण गिर गये थे
tava caiva pareṣāṁ ca gatāstrā vigateṣavaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Both your warriors and those of the enemy, having lost their weapons and with their arrows spent, became dispirited and downcast—so that arms slipped from their hands. The verse underscores how, in war, morale and inner resolve can collapse as surely as physical resources, revealing the ethical tragedy of combat where human courage is exhausted and men are reduced to helplessness.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that defeat in war is not only physical (loss of weapons and arrows) but also psychological: when courage and resolve fail, even armed warriors become ineffective. It implicitly critiques the dehumanizing exhaustion of prolonged conflict, where dharma is tested by fear, fatigue, and despair.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that both sides’ fighters have become disarmed or depleted of missiles—either literally losing weapons or running out of arrows—resulting in a collapse of fighting spirit and a visible slackening of battle readiness.