Shloka 69
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
ततो वै रथघोषेण गर्जितेन मृगा इव । भज्यमानाश्व समरे तव पुत्रा विशाम्पते,प्रजानाथ! तदनन्तर भीमसेनके रथकी घरघराहट और गर्जनासे समरांगणमें मृगोंके समान भयभीत हुए आपके पुत्रोंका उत्साह भंग हो गया
tato vai rathaghoṣeṇa garjitena mṛgā iva | bhajyamānāśva samare tava putrā viśāmpate prajānātha |
サンジャヤは言った。「ついで戦車の轟きと咆哮が鳴り渡ると、汝の子らは—民の主よ—戦場で鹿のごとく怯え、馬が打たれて乱れるにつれ、その気勢は砕け散った。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of confidence in war: when leadership and inner steadiness are weak, external shocks—noise, sudden assault, the breaking of horses and formation—can shatter morale. Ethically, it points to the cost of pursuing conflict without righteous grounding (dharma) and the psychological suffering that follows.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, after a terrifying chariot-roar and bellowing on the battlefield, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons become frightened like deer. Their chariot-teams are thrown into disorder, and their fighting spirit collapses.