Shloka 48
अभिमन्यु–अलम्बुसयुद्धम् / The Duel of Abhimanyu and Alambusa
with Arjuna’s approach to Bhīṣma
नैव ते श्रद्दधुर्भीता वदतोरावयोर्वच: । तांश्व प्रद्रवतो दृष्टवा जयं प्राप्ताश्न पाण्डवा:
naiva te śraddadhur bhītā vadator āvayor vacaḥ | tāṁś ca pradravato dṛṣṭvā jayaṁ prāptāś ca pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Mereka yang ketakutan itu langsung tidak menaruh kepercayaan pada kata-kata kami. Namun apabila Pāṇḍava melihat mereka lari kucar-kacir, pihak Pāṇḍava memperoleh kelebihan—kemenangan seakan-akan sudah dalam genggaman, kerana semangat musuh telah runtuh.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Fear and loss of confidence can undo an army more quickly than weapons; when trust in counsel collapses and panic spreads, defeat becomes imminent. The verse highlights the ethical and practical importance of steadiness, discernment, and morale in righteous conduct during conflict.
Sañjaya reports that certain frightened warriors did not believe the warning or counsel spoken by ‘us two’ (the speakers), but once they witnessed others fleeing, the Pāṇḍavas seized the momentum and moved toward victory as the opposing side broke formation.