Shloka 25
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय ९०: हार्दिक्यस्य पराक्रमः
Kṛtavarmā’s Stand against the Pāṇḍavas
सेनाके सभी वाहन भयके मारे मल-मूत्र करने लगे। इस प्रकार सवारियोंसहित सारी सेना उद्धिग्न हो गयी ।। सीदन्ति सम नरा राजन् शड्खशब्देन मारिष | विसंज्ञाश्नाभवन् केचित् केचिद् राजन् वितत्रसु:
sīdanti sma narā rājan śaṅkhaśabdena māriṣa | visaṃjñāś cābhavan kecit kecid rājan vitratrusuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, O venerable one, at the blare of the conches the warriors began to falter. Some lost consciousness, and others, O King, were seized with terror.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of human composure in war: mere sound-signals (like conches) can trigger panic, showing how fear spreads through armies and how inner steadiness is ethically and strategically crucial.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the conch-blast causes many fighters to falter—some faint and others tremble in fear—indicating widespread agitation in the battlefield ranks.