Shloka 54
द्रोणाचार्यका यह वचन सुनकर सारथिने सम्पूर्ण शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रोणसे इस प्रकार कहा--'आयुष्मन्! कौरव-सेना चारों ओर भाग रही है। देखिये, रणक्षेत्रमें वे सब योद्धा व्यूह-भंग करके इधर-उधर दौड़ रहे हैं ।।
sañjaya uvāca | droṇācāryakā yaḥ vacana sunakara sārathine sampūrṇa śastradhārīyoṃ meṃ śreṣṭha droṇase isa prakāra kahā— “āyuṣman! kaurava-senā cāroṃ ora bhāga rahī hai. dekhiye, raṇakṣetramēṃ ve saba yoddhā vyūha-bhaṅga karake idhara-udhara dauṛa rahe haiṃ. || ime ca saṃhatāḥ śūrāḥ pañcālāḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha | tvām eva hi jighāṃsanta ādravanti samantataḥ ||”
Sabi ni Sañjaya: Nang marinig iyon, nagsalita ang tagapagmaneho ng karwahe kay Droṇa—pinakamataas sa lahat ng may tangan ng sandata—at sinabi: “O kagalang-galang na guro! Ang hukbong Kaurava ay tumatakas sa lahat ng panig. Masdan—sa larangan ng digmaan, nabasag ang kanilang hanay, at ang mga mandirigma’y nagkakandarapa sa iba’t ibang dako. Samantala, ang matatapang na Pañcāla, kaisa ng mga Pāṇḍava, ay sumusugod mula sa lahat ng direksiyon na may iisang hangarin—ang patayin kayo.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethical tension: when an army loses cohesion (vyūha-bhaṅga), even great commanders become vulnerable, and collective resolve can concentrate on a single target. It underscores the moral and strategic weight borne by leaders in war—how the collapse of order magnifies peril and forces decisive choices.
Sanjaya reports that Drona’s charioteer warns him: the Kaurava forces are scattering in panic with their formation broken, while the Panchala warriors, joined with the Pandavas, have formed a united front and are charging from all sides specifically to kill Drona.