Mahabharata 7.170.29 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 170, Shloka 29
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
ततः कर्णसुतात् त्रस्ता: सोमका विद्रदुद्रुव॒ुः । यथेन्द्रभयवित्रस्ता दानवास्तारकामये
tataḥ karṇasutāt trastāḥ somakā vidravad drutam | yathendrabhayavitrastā dānavās tārakāmaye ||
సంజయుడు పలికెను—ఆపై కర్ణుని కుమారుని భయంతో వణికిన సోమకులు వేగంగా పారిపోయిరి; తారకామయ యుద్ధంలో ఇంద్రభయంతో దానవులు చెదరిపోయినట్లుగా।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical and practical truth of war: collective resolve can collapse under sudden terror, and a single warrior’s perceived dominance can trigger panic and flight. It implicitly warns that courage and discipline are as decisive as weapons.
Sañjaya reports that the Somakas, struck with fear by Karṇa’s son, break and flee rapidly. To convey the scale of their panic, he compares it to the Dānavas scattering in fear of Indra during the famed conflict connected with Tārakā.
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