Shloka 82
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
ऊरुस्तम्भगृहीताश्व कश्मलाभिहतौजस: । विनदन्तो भुशं त्रस्ता: समासीदन् परस्परम्,उनकी जाँघें अकड़ गयी थीं। मोहवश उनका बल और उत्साह मारा गया था। वे भयभीत हो जोर-जोरसे चीखते हुए एक-दूसरेसे लिपट जाते थे
ūrūstambha-gṛhītāśva kaśmalābhihataujasaḥ | vinadanto bhuśaṃ trastāḥ samāsīdan parasparam ||
サञ्जयは語った。彼らの腿は痙攣に捕らわれたかのようにこわばり、馬もまた押しとどめられたかのように動けなかった。迷妄がその力と気概を打ち砕いたのである。恐怖に震え、彼らは大声で叫びながら、取り乱して互いに寄り添い、身を寄せ合ってしがみついた。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how terror and delusion (kaśmala) can instantly destroy courage and competence, reducing warriors to helplessness; it implicitly warns that violence driven by confusion and adharma breeds panic, collapse, and loss of inner strength.
In Sañjaya’s report of the night’s events, the combatants are overwhelmed by fear: their bodies stiffen, their horses seem immobilized, and they cry out and cling to one another, showing a breakdown of martial order amid the nocturnal horror.