Shloka 23

Devanagari script

उत्सृज्य कवचानन्ये प्राद्रवंस्तावका विभो । अन्योन्यं ते समाक्रोशन्‌ सैनिका भरतर्षभ,भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्रभो! आपके कितने ही सैनिक कवच उतारकर एक-दूसरेको पुकारते हुए भाग रहे थे

Transliteration

utsṛjya kavacān anye prādravan stāvakā vibho | anyonyaṃ te samākrośan sainikā bharatarṣabha ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O mighty lord, many of your warriors, casting off their armor, fled in panic; and, O bull among the Bharatas, the soldiers cried out to one another as they ran—an image of fear overwhelming discipline and the warrior’s code amid the press of war.

Word by Word

उत्सृज्यhaving cast off/abandoned

कवचान्armours

अन्येothers (some people)

प्राद्रवन्ran away/fled

तावकाःyour (men), belonging to you

विभोO mighty one / O lord

अन्योन्यम्mutually, to one another

तेthey

समाक्रोशन्cried out/called (to each other)

सैनिकाःsoldiers

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Kaurava troops (tāvakāḥ, sainikāḥ)

armor (kavaca)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how fear can eclipse duty: even trained warriors may abandon protection and order when morale collapses, underscoring the ethical and psychological stakes of war and the fragility of kṣatriya-dharma under extreme pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that many Kaurava soldiers are fleeing the battlefield, throwing off their armor and shouting to one another as they run, indicating confusion and panic in the ranks.