Shloka 38
Vṛddha-kanyā-carita and Balarāma’s Kurukṣetra Inquiry (वृद्धकन्या-चरितम् / कुरुक्षेत्रफल-प्रश्नः)
दिग्भ्यस्तान् प्रद्रुतान् दृष्टवा मुनि: सारस्वतस्तदा
digbhyas tān pradrutān dṛṣṭvā muniḥ sārasvatas tadā
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, seeing those men fleeing in all directions, the sage Sārasvata at that moment took note of the rout—an image of how fear and confusion can scatter even armed hosts when resolve and right order collapse in war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological truth of warfare: when discipline and dharma-based resolve break, fear spreads and people scatter in every direction. It implicitly contrasts steadiness and duty with panic-driven flight.
The narrator reports that the sage Sārasvata observes people/warriors fleeing on all sides, indicating a moment of battlefield disorder or rout that sets up the next action or counsel in the episode.