Shloka 303
भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च
Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka
निहतान् मेनिरे सर्वान् पाण्डून द्रोणसुतेन वै । महाराज! द्रोणपुत्रका पराक्रम देखकर सब लोगोंने यही समझा कि द्रोणकुमार अश्रृत्थामाके द्वारा सारे पाण्डव मार डाले जायँगे
nihatān menire sarvān pāṇḍūn droṇasutena vai | mahārāja!
Sañjaya said: “O King, seeing the prowess of Droṇa’s son, everyone concluded that all the Pāṇḍavas had been slain by him.” The line conveys how battlefield perception and fear can harden into certainty, even before truth is known—an ethical reminder of how rumor and panic distort judgment in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, people often mistake appearance and hearsay for fact. Ethical discernment (viveka) is weakened by fear and spectacle, so one should be cautious about forming conclusions based solely on perceived prowess or crowd belief.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that observers, impressed and alarmed by Aśvatthāman’s valor, assumed the Pāṇḍavas had all been killed by him—reflecting the tense uncertainty and misinformation common on the battlefield.