Shloka 18
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
तस्मिन् निपतिते वीरे सम्प्राद्रवत सा चमू: । सम्भ्रान्ताश्वद्धिपरथा पदातीनवमृदू्नती,उस वीरके धराशायी होते ही उसकी वह सारी सेना भागने लगी। घोड़े, हाथी तथा रथ सभी घबराहटमें पड़कर इधर-उधर चक्कर काटने लगे। वह सेना अपने ही पैदल सिपाहियोंको रौंदती हुई भाग रही थी
tasmin nipatite vīre samprādravat sā camūḥ | sambhrāntāśvaddhiparathā padātīn avamṛdnatī ||
तस्मिन् निपतिते वीरे सम्प्राद्रवत सा चमूः। सम्भ्रान्ताश्वद्विपरथा पदातीनवमृद्नती॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly collective discipline collapses when fear overtakes an army: once a key warrior falls, panic spreads, and even one’s own comrades become unintended victims. Ethically, it underscores the tragic momentum of war, where loss of self-control leads to further adharma-like harm (such as trampling one’s own soldiers).
Sañjaya reports that after a certain hero is struck down, the formation breaks. The host flees in disorder; horses, elephants, and chariots whirl about in confusion, and the retreating troops crush their own infantry while running.