Shloka 52

Devanagari script

ते भीमभयसंत्रस्तास्तावका भरतर्षभ । विहाय समरे भीम॑ दुद्गुव॒ुर्वे दिशो दश,भरतश्रेष्ठ भीमके भयसे डरे हुए आपके समस्त सैनिक समरांगणमें उनका सामना करना छोड़कर दसों दिशाओंमें भागने लगे

Transliteration

te bhīmabhayasaṁtrastās tāvakā bharatarṣabha | vihāya samare bhīmaṁ dudruvur diśo daśa ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: O bull among the Bharatas, your warriors—shaken with fear of Bhīma—abandoned the attempt to face him on the battlefield and fled in all ten directions. The scene underscores how terror can dissolve discipline and resolve in war, turning an army’s duty into a rout when courage and cohesion fail.

Word by Word

तेthey (those)

भीम-भय-संत्रस्ताःterrified due to fear of Bhima

तावकाःyour men/your troops

भरत-ऋषभO bull among the Bharatas

विहायhaving abandoned/left

समरेin battle

भीमम्Bhima

दुद्रुवुःthey fled/ran away

दिशःdirections

दशten

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīma

Kaurava troops (tāvakāḥ)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by the address bharatarṣabha)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how fear can overpower training and duty: when inner steadiness collapses, even a large force loses cohesion and abandons its kṣatriya obligation to stand firm in battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava soldiers, terrified of Bhīma, stop confronting him in the fight and scatter, fleeing in every direction.