Shloka 44
अविषट्ां तु पार्थस्य शरसम्पातमाहवे । मत्वा न्यवर्तन् कुरवो जिता गाण्डीवधन्चना,गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनके द्वारा परास्त हुए कौरव-योद्धा समरांगणमें उनकी बाण-वर्षाको अपने लिये असहा मानकर युद्धसे पीछे हटने लगे
aviṣaṭāṁ tu pārthasya śarasampātam āhave | matvā nyavartan kuravo jitā gāṇḍīvadhanvanā ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the Kaurava warriors, judging Arjuna’s relentless shower of arrows to be unbearable, began to fall back from the fight—overcome by the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva. The verse underscores how sheer martial excellence and resolve can break an army’s will, forcing retreat when endurance fails.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: when a force cannot endure an opponent’s superior skill and sustained pressure, retreat becomes the practical consequence of being overmatched. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s realism about morale—victory is not only physical but psychological.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna unleashes an intense, continuous rain of arrows. The Kaurava warriors find it unbearable and, recognizing themselves as defeated by the Gāṇḍīva-wielding archer, begin to withdraw from the fight.