Shloka 6
प्रजानाथ! किन््हींके रथोंके जूए, धुरे, पहिये और हरसे भी टूट गये थे, दूसरे योद्धाओंके बाण नष्ट हो गये और अन्य योद्धा अर्जुनके बाणोंसे पीड़ित हो गये थे ।। अक्षता युगपत् केचित् प्राद्रवनू भयपीडिता: । केचित् पुत्रानुपादाय हतभूयिष्ठबान्धवा:,कुछ लोग घायल न होनेपर भी भयसे पीड़ित हो एक साथ ही भागने लगे और कुछ लोग अधिकांश बन्धु-बान्धवोंके मारे जानेपर पुत्रोंकोी साथ लेकर भागे
sañjaya uvāca | prajānātha! kecid rathānāṁ yūgāni dhurāḥ cakrāṇi harṣāś ca vyatīryanta; anyeṣāṁ yodhānāṁ bāṇāḥ kṣīyante sma, anye ca yodhā arjunasya bāṇaiḥ pīḍitā abhavan || akṣatā yugapat kecit prādravanū bhayapīḍitāḥ | kecit putrān upādāya hatabhūyiṣṭhabāndhavāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O lord of men, in that turmoil some warriors found the yokes, axles, wheels, and other fittings of their chariots shattered; others had their arrows spent or destroyed; and still others were wracked by Arjuna’s shafts. Though unhurt, some fled all at once, driven by fear; and some—having lost most of their kinsmen—ran off taking their sons with them. The scene shows how, when the supports of war (weapons, vehicles, comrades, and courage) collapse, even the able abandon the field, and the instinct to protect one’s lineage overrides the warrior’s resolve.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear and the loss of social supports (weapons, vehicles, comrades) can break even uninjured fighters, and how attachment to family—especially safeguarding one’s children and lineage—can override the expected steadiness of kṣatriya conduct in war.
Sañjaya reports to the king that amid Arjuna’s devastating archery, chariots are damaged, arrows are depleted, and many warriors are pained by his shafts. Some flee simultaneously out of fear despite being unhurt, while others retreat carrying their sons after most of their relatives have been killed.