Shloka 58
भयेन सो<प्याशु पपात भूमा- वन्य: प्रणष्ट: पतितं विलोक्य । अन्यस्य सासिर्निपपात कृत्तो योधस्य बाहु: करिहस्ततुल्य:
bhayena so 'py āśu papāta bhūmau anyo 'pi praṇaṣṭaḥ patitaṃ vilokya | anyasya sāsiḥ nipapāta kṛtto yodhasya bāhuḥ karihastatulyaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dihentam ketakutan, pahlawan itu pun segera rebah ke bumi. Seorang lagi, melihat dia jatuh, hilang semangat lalu melarikan diri. Dan bagi seorang pejuang yang lain, lengannya—tebal seperti belalai gajah—tertebas putus dan jatuh ke tanah bersama pedangnya. Demikianlah panik merebak di medan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear rapidly spreads in war: the spectacle of death and dismemberment can break courage and discipline. Implicitly, it contrasts the ideal of steadfast kṣatriya resolve with the human tendency to collapse or flee when confronted with extreme violence.
Sañjaya reports a chain reaction on the battlefield: one enemy warrior is struck down (contextually, beheaded), another collapses in fear upon seeing it, a third runs away, and elsewhere a warrior’s arm—thick like an elephant’s trunk—gets cut off and falls with the sword.