Shloka 246
धनंजय गुरु श्रुत्वा तत्र नादं सुभीषणम् | धनंजय! यह अत्यन्त भीषण और भारी सिंहनाद सुनकर हमारे श्रेष्ठ रथी भी उद्विग्न हो उठे हैं और इनके रोंगटे खड़े हो गये हैं
dhanañjaya guru śrutvā tatra nādaṃ subhīṣaṇam | dhanañjaya! yaḥ atyanta-bhīṣaṇaḥ bhārī siṃhanādaḥ śrutvā asmākaṃ śreṣṭha-rathinaḥ api udvignāḥ utthitāḥ, eṣāṃ romāṇi ca harṣaṃ gatāni |
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “O Dhanañjaya, having heard there that dreadsome roar—like a heavy lion’s thunder—our finest chariot-warriors have been shaken; their bodies bristle with alarm. Such a sound is not merely noise: it signals a grave turn in the battle and tests the steadiness of the righteous.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how external shocks in war—terrifying sounds, sudden displays of power—test inner steadiness. Even elite warriors can be shaken; dharma in battle includes mastering fear, maintaining composure, and responding with disciplined courage rather than panic.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses Arjuna after a dreadful, heavy lion-like roar is heard on the battlefield. The sound unsettles even the best chariot-fighters, whose hair stands on end, indicating fear and foreboding about an imminent, dangerous development in the fight.