Shloka 29
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
तस्य शब्देन वित्रेसुर्भयार्ताश्च विदुद्र॒ुवु: । मुमुचुश्नाश्रु शोकार्ता: शुशुचुश्चापि सैन्धवा:
tasya śabdena vitrēsurbhayārtāś ca vidudruvuḥ | mumucuś cāśru śokārtāḥ śuśucuś cāpi saindhavāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśaṃpāyana: Sa tunog na iyon, sila’y nayanig sa matinding takot; ang mga tinamaan ng pangamba ay nagsitakbo sa iba’t ibang panig. At ang mga mandirigmang Saindhava, nilamon ng dalamhati, ay nagpatak ng luha at humagulgol nang malakas—sapagkat ang nakapanghihilakbot na pagkalembang ng Gāṇḍīva ay bumali sa kanilang tapang at wari’y nagbabadya ng kapahamakan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner states—fear and grief—can collapse martial resolve even before weapons strike. In the epic’s ethical frame, true strength is not only physical prowess but steadiness of mind; panic leads to flight, while attachment and loss lead to lamentation.
A formidable sound—understood in context as the twang of Arjuna’s Gāṇḍīva—reverberates across the field. Hearing it, many warriors panic and flee, while the Saindhavas, already burdened by impending defeat and loss, weep and mourn.