Shloka 14
पदातिगणसंयुक्तस्त्रस्तो राजन् भयार्दित: । उलूकः: प्राद्रवत् तत्र दृष्टवा द्रोणं निपातितम्,नरेश्वर! द्रोणाचार्यको वहाँ मारा गया देख उलूक भी भयसे पीड़ित हो थर्रा उठा और पैदल योद्धाओंके साथ जोर-जोरसे भागने लगा
sañjaya uvāca | padātigaṇasaṃyuktaḥ trasto rājan bhayārditaḥ | ulūkaḥ prādravat tatra dṛṣṭvā droṇaṃ nipātitam, nareśvara |
Sañjaya said: O King, shaken and overwhelmed by fear, Ulūka—surrounded by bands of foot-soldiers—fled swiftly from that place when he saw Droṇa brought down. The fall of the revered teacher on the battlefield sends a moral shock through the ranks, and fear spreads where confidence had rested on his presence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fall of a central moral and strategic authority (Droṇa) can collapse collective confidence: fear spreads rapidly, and even notable warriors lose steadiness. It implicitly warns that reliance on a single pillar of strength is fragile, and that inner resolve is tested most when revered protectors fall.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Ulūka, seeing Droṇa felled, becomes panic-stricken and runs away together with troops of infantry. The scene depicts immediate disarray in the Kaurava ranks following Droṇa’s downfall.