Shloka 8
Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ
Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors
तं च शब्दमसहां वै तस्या: संलक्ष्य मारिष । प्रापतन्मनुजास्तत्र रथेभ्यो रथिनस्तदा,माननीय नरेश! उस गदाके असहा शब्दको सुनकर उस समय कितने ही रथी मानव अपने रथोंसे नीचे गिर पड़े
taṁ ca śabdam asahāṁ vai tasyāḥ saṁlakṣya mārīṣa | prāpatan manujās tatra rathebhyo rathinas tadā ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja yang mulia, tatkala mendengar dan mengenali bunyi yang tidak tertanggung itu daripadanya, ramai pahlawan di situ—para pejuang kereta perang di kalangan manusia—pada saat itu juga terjatuh dari kereta perang mereka.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of human steadiness under the shock of violence: terror and overwhelming sensory force can defeat warriors internally before any physical blow, pointing to the ethical cost and dehumanizing pressure of war.
Sañjaya reports that an unbearable sound—attributed to a female figure referenced as 'her'—is heard on the battlefield, and many chariot-fighters, unable to endure it, fall down from their chariots.