Shloka 48
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
तेषां प्रद्रवतां भीम: पज्चालानामितस्तत:
teṣāṁ pradravatāṁ bhīmaḥ pāñcālānām itas tataḥ
Sañjaya berkata: Ketika orang Pāñcāla lari bertempiaran dalam kekacauan, Bhīma bergerak ke sana sini di tengah mereka, menekan kekalahan itu dan memperhebat panik dalam pengunduran—gambaran bahawa dalam perang, apabila barisan pecah, ketakutan mudah merebak ke seluruh pasukan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a practical ethical insight of the epic’s war narrative: once discipline collapses, fear multiplies and a retreat can become a rout; therefore leaders and warriors must preserve steadiness and order, since panic harms not only the individual but the whole host.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāñcālas are fleeing, and Bhīma is moving “here and there” among them—suggesting vigorous pursuit and battlefield pressure during a moment of disarray.