Shloka 3
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
संजय उवाच तथार्जुनेन सम्भग्ने तस्मिंस्तव बलेडनघ । हतवीरे हतोत्साहे पलायनकृतक्षणे,संजयने कहा--निष्पाप नरेश! जब इन्द्रपुत्र अर्जुनने पूर्वोक्त प्रकारसे आपकी सेनाके वीरोंको मारकर उसे हतोत्साह एवं भागनेके लिये विवश कर दिया, सभी सैनिक पलायन करनेका ही अवसर देखने लगे तथा उनके ऊपर निरन्तर श्रेष्ठ बाणोंकी मार पड़ने लगी, उस समय वहाँ संग्राममें कोई भी अर्जुनकी ओर आँख उठाकर देख न सका
sañjaya uvāca tathārjunena sambhagne tasmiṃs tava bale 'nagha | hatavīre hatotsāhe palāyanakṛtakṣaṇe ||
Sañjaya said: “O sinless king, when your army had been thus shattered by Arjuna—its heroes slain, its spirit broken, and its men reduced to watching only for a moment to flee—then, under the unceasing strike of his excellent arrows, no one on that battlefield could even raise his eyes to face Arjuna.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fall of key warriors collapses collective morale: when courage and leadership are broken, an army turns from duty to survival. Ethically, it underscores the Kṣatriya ideal that steadfastness is tested not only by weapons but by fear and loss of resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna has devastated the Kaurava forces—killing prominent fighters and continuously showering arrows—so that the remaining soldiers look only for a chance to flee and cannot even bear to look at Arjuna in the battle.