तं॑ हतं मन्यमाना: सम प्राणदन् कुरुपुड़वा:
taṁ hataṁ manyamānāḥ sama-prāṇadan kurupuṅgavāḥ
तं हतं मन्यमानाः समप्राणदन् कुरुपुङ्गवाः ।
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how, in the chaos of battle, belief and rumor can harden into certainty, driving collective reactions. Ethically, it cautions against premature conclusions and the moral blindness that can arise when group emotion overrides careful judgment.
Sañjaya reports that the leading Kuru fighters, convinced that a particular opponent had been killed, shouted together in triumph—an immediate battlefield response based on their assumption of the enemy’s death.