Shloka 266
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
नाशवनुवन् वारयितुं भीष्मबाणप्रपीडितान् । पाण्डव वीर बहुत प्रयत्न करनेपर भी भीष्मके बाणोंसे पीड़ित होकर भागते हुए अपने महारथियोंको रोक नहीं पा रहे थे
nāśakanuvan vārayituṃ bhīṣmabāṇaprapīḍitān | pāṇḍavā vīrā bahu prayatnaṃ kṛtvāpi bhīṣmasya bāṇaiḥ pīḍitāḥ palāyamānān svān mahārathīn vārayituṃ na śekuḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: Mesmo após grandes esforços, os heróis Pāṇḍava não conseguiram conter seus próprios grandes guerreiros de carro, que—atormentados pelas flechas de Bhīṣma—fugiam do campo. A cena mostra como, na guerra, o valor e a intenção podem ser vencidos por uma força superior e pelo medo, e como a liderança é provada quando as próprias fileiras começam a romper-se.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the limits of personal effort in the face of overwhelming force and panic: even brave leaders may fail to control their own troops when fear spreads. Ethically, it points to the severe tests of kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness, discipline, and command—under extreme battlefield pressure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīṣma’s arrow-barrage has so shaken the Pāṇḍava side that some of their elite chariot-warriors begin to flee, and the Pāṇḍava heroes, despite repeated attempts, cannot stop them.