Shloka 31
अध्याय ९१ — शैनेयस्य गजानीकभेदनं जलसंधवधश्च
Chapter 91: Sātyaki breaks the elephant array and slays Jalasaṃdha
चोदयन्तो हयांस्तूर्ण पलायन्ते सम तावका: । सादिनो रथिनश्वैव पत्तयश्चार्जुनादिता:,अर्जुनके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुए आपके पैदल, घुड़सवार और रथी सैनिक चाबुक, धनुषकी कोटि, हुंकार, हाँकनेकी सुन्दर कला, कोड़ोंके प्रहार, चरणोंके आघात तथा भयंकर वाणीद्वारा अपने घोड़ोंको बड़ी उतावलीके साथ हाँकते हुए भाग रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca |
codayanto hayāṁs tūrṇaṁ palāyante sma tāvakāḥ |
sādino rathinaś caiva pattayaś cārjunāditāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Urging their horses on in haste, your troops fled. Horsemen, chariot-warriors, and foot-soldiers alike—tormented by Arjuna’s arrows—drove their mounts forward in frantic retreat, revealing how fear and the instinct to survive can overwhelm martial resolve when confronted by superior prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethical reality: courage and duty are tested under extreme pressure, and when fear dominates, even trained warriors may abandon formation and flee—showing how inner steadiness is as decisive as weapons.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kaurava troops—cavalry, charioteers, and infantry—are being harried by Arjuna’s arrows and are retreating rapidly, driving their horses hard in panic.