Shloka 5
(विक्रीडितं रणे तेन निघ्नता वै परान् वरान् ।) यस्य शूरा महेष्वासा: प्रत्यनीकगता रणे । प्रभग्ना विनिवर्तन्ते कृतास्त्रा युद्धदुर्मदा:,“उसने रणक्षेत्रमें प्रमुख-प्रमुख शत्रुवीरोंका वध करते हुए अद्भुत रणक्रीडा की थी। युद्धमें उसके सामने जानेपर शत्रुपक्षके अस्त्रविद्याविशारद युद्धदुर्मद और महान धनुर्धर शूरवीर भी हतोत्साह हो भाग खड़े होते थे
yasya śūrā maheṣvāsāḥ pratyanīka-gatā raṇe | prabhagnā vinivartante kṛtāstrā yuddha-durmadāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Even those heroes who were great bowmen—masters of weapons and swollen with the pride of battle—when they advanced to face him in the fight, were shattered and turned back in retreat. Such was the overwhelming force of his prowess that it broke the enemy’s resolve and made seasoned warriors abandon the field.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride in strength and technical mastery (kṛtāstra, yuddha-durmada) can collapse when confronted by superior resolve and prowess; in war, morale and steadiness often decide outcomes as much as skill.
Sañjaya describes a warrior so formidable that even expert, confident enemy archers who advance to face him are broken and retreat from the battlefield.