Shloka 19
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
ततस्ते प्राद्रवन् भीता: पुत्रास्ते विहद्दलीकृता:
tataste prādravan bhītāḥ putrāste vihaddalīkṛtāḥ
Sañjaya said: Then, terrified, your sons fled in haste, their battle-formation shattered and broken apart. The line underscores how fear and disorder spread in war when leadership and cohesion fail, turning strength into rout.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In battle, courage and discipline depend on cohesion and leadership; when fear takes hold and formations break, even a powerful army collapses into flight—highlighting the ethical weight of command and the fragility of martial resolve.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava princes, struck by fear, begin to flee, and their ranks are scattered—signaling a turning point where order gives way to panic.