Shloka 96
भीत॑ं दिशो5कीर्यत भीमनुन्नं महानिलेना भ्रगणा यथैव । भारत! तदनन्तर समरांगणमें महामना भीमसेनके द्वारा दग्ध होती हुई कौरव-सेना भयभीत हो सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंमें बिखर गयी। जैसे आँधी बादलोंको छिन्न-भिन्न कर देती है, उसी प्रकार भीमसेनने आपके सैनिकोंको मार भगाया था
bhītaṃ diśo ’kīryata bhīmanunnaṃ mahānilenā bhra-gaṇā yathaiva | bhārata! tad-anantaraṃ samarāṅgaṇe mahāmanā bhīmasenena dagdhamānā kaurava-senā bhayabhītā samasta-diśāsu vikirṇā babhūva | yathā āndhī meghān chinna-bhinnān karoti tathā bhīmaseno ’pi tava sainyān mārayan prādrāvayat ||
Sañjaya said: Struck by Bhīma, your troops—terrified and as if scorched by his onslaught—scattered in all directions across the battlefield, O Bhārata. Just as a mighty gale tears apart masses of clouds, so did Bhīmasena break and drive your soldiers into flight. The passage underscores how fear and loss of cohesion can undo an army when confronted by overwhelming force, and how the moral weight of the war is felt not only in deaths but in the collapse of courage and order.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and disunity can rapidly dissolve collective strength in war. Ethically, it points to the tragic momentum of violence: prowess may win the moment, but the human cost appears in panic, rout, and the breakdown of order.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīmasena’s assault has overwhelmed the Kaurava forces. Terrified and seemingly ‘burnt’ by his attack, they scatter in all directions, compared to clouds torn apart by a powerful wind.