Shloka 11
Adhyāya 74 (Book 6, Bhīṣma-parva): Bhīma–Duryodhana re-engagement and afternoon escalation
समुत्पतन्ति वित्रस्ता रथेभ्यो रथिनस्तथा । सादिनश्चाश्वपृछठे भ्यो भूमी चापि पदातय:,वे सभी लोग ऐसे भयभीत हो गये कि रथी रथोंसे और घुड़सवार घोड़ोंकी पीठोंसे गिरने लगे तथा पैदल सैनिक भी पृथ्वीपर लोट-पोट हो गये
samutpatanti vitrastā rathebhyo rathinas tathā | sādinaś cāśvapṛṣṭhebhyo bhūmīṃ cāpi padātayaḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: “Tomados pelo pânico, os guerreiros de carro saltavam e tombavam de seus carros; os cavaleiros caíam do dorso dos cavalos; e até os soldados a pé desabavam e rolavam pelo chão.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how fear (bhaya) can overpower training and duty, breaking cohesion and judgment in war; it implicitly contrasts steadiness and self-control with panic that leads to collapse.
Sañjaya describes a sudden wave of terror on the battlefield: chariot-fighters fall from chariots, horsemen from horses, and infantry collapse on the ground, indicating widespread disarray.