Shloka 6
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
राजन्! अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिस्से पराजित हो दोपहरके समय हमलोग युद्धसे भाग चले थे। शल्यके मारे जानेसे किसी भी योद्धाके मनमें सेनाओंको संगठित करने तथा पराक्रम दिखानेका उत्साह नहीं होता था ।। भीष्मे द्रोणे च निहते सूतपुत्रे च भारत । यद् दुःखं तव योधानां भयं चासीद् विशाम्पते
rājan! ajātaśatru yudhiṣṭhiraḥ parājito madhyāhna-samaye vayaṁ yuddhāt palāyitāḥ sma. śalyasya māraṇāt kasyāpi yoddhuḥ manasi senā-saṅghaṭanaṁ parākrama-pradarśanaṁ ca kartum utsāho na jātaḥ. bhīṣme droṇe ca nihate sūtaputre ca bhārata, yad duḥkhaṁ tava yodhānāṁ bhayaṁ cāsīd viśāmpate.
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja! Pada waktu tengah hari, setelah Yudhiṣṭhira—Ajātaśatru, yang tidak dapat ditaklukkan musuh—telah dikalahkan, kami melarikan diri dari medan perang. Setelah Śalya terbunuh, tiada seorang pun pahlawan yang bersemangat untuk menghimpunkan bala tentera atau memperlihatkan keberanian. Ketika Bhīṣma dan Droṇa telah gugur, dan putera sais kereta juga terbunuh, wahai Bhārata, apakah dukacita dan ketakutan yang menguasai para pahlawanmu, wahai tuan rakyat?”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the fall of key leaders shatters collective resolve: without moral and strategic anchors, an army loses the will to regroup and act bravely. It also underscores the cascading psychological consequences of prolonged adharma-driven war—grief and fear eventually overwhelm even seasoned warriors.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that after Yudhiṣṭhira’s victory and Śalya’s death, the Kaurava side fled at midday. He recalls that with Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Karṇa already slain, the remaining warriors were seized by sorrow and fear and lacked the enthusiasm to reorganize the forces or continue heroic resistance.