Shloka 13
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
नाहं महेन्द्रादपि वजपाणे: क्रुद्धाद् बिभेम्यायुधवान् रथस्थ: । दृष्टवा हि भीष्मप्रमुखाउशयाना- नतीव मां हास्थिरता जहाति
nāhaṃ mahendrād api vajrapāṇeḥ kruddhād bibhemy āyudhavān rathasthaḥ | dṛṣṭvā hi bhīṣmapramukhān śayānān atīva māṃ hā sthiratā jahāti ||
サンジャヤは言った。「たとえ雷霆を握る帝釈天その人が怒り狂って来ようとも、武器を携え戦車に立つこの私に恐れはない。だが、ビーマを筆頭とする第一の勇士たちが倒れ伏すのを見ると、私の不動の心はすっかり離れてしまうのだ。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts physical fearlessness with moral-emotional collapse: a warrior may claim courage before even divine threats, yet the sight of revered elders and great heroes fallen can shatter inner steadiness. It highlights the human cost of war and the fragility of composure when confronted with irreversible loss.
Sañjaya reports his own state of mind amid the Kurukṣetra war. He says he would not fear even Indra’s wrath while armed on his chariot, but seeing Bhīṣma and other leading warriors lying fallen on the battlefield makes him lose his firmness and composure.