Shloka 306
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
सहसाभ्यद्रवद् राजन् यत्र तस्थौ वृकोदर: । आर्य! उस समय सबके मुँहसे यही बात निकल रही थी--'अहो! इस हाथीने भीमसेनको मार डाला, यह कितनी बुरी बात है।” राजन! उस हाथीसे भयभीत हो पाण्डवोंकी सारी सेना सहसा वहीं भाग गयी, जहाँ भीमसेन खड़े थे
sahasābhyadravad rājan yatra tasthau vṛkodaraḥ |
Sañjaya said: “O King, the entire host suddenly rushed toward the place where Vṛkodara (Bhīma) was standing. At that moment, from everyone’s mouths came the same cry—‘Alas! This elephant has slain Bhīmasena; how dreadful!’ Terrified by that elephant, the whole Pāṇḍava army fled in haste to where Bhīma stood.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective perception and fear can spread in war: a rumor of a hero’s fall shakes morale, and armies move not only by strategy but by emotion, reputation, and sudden panic.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava forces, frightened by an elephant and believing it has killed Bhīma, suddenly surge and flee toward the spot where Bhīma (Vṛkodara) is standing, while people cry out in alarm.