Shloka 416
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
प्रायशो विमुखं सर्व नावतिष्ठत भारत । धनुर्धर पाण्डुकुमारकी मार खाकर आपकी वह सारी सेना प्रायः पीठ दिखाकर भाग चली। वहाँ क्षणभरके लिये भी ठहर न सकी
prāyaśo vimukhaṃ sarvaṃ nāvatiṣṭhata bhārata | dhanurdhara-pāṇḍu-kumāra-kī mār khākar āpākī vah sārī senā prāyaḥ pīṭha dikhākar bhāga calī | vahā̃ kṣaṇabhar ke liye bhī ṭhahar na sakī |
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O Bhārata, halos ang buong hukbo ay tumalikod at hindi na nakapanindigan sa kanilang puwesto. Nang tamaan ng mga mamamanang anak ni Pāṇḍu, ang iyong hukbo ay sa karamihan ay nagpakita ng likod at tumakas, hindi man lamang nakatagal doon kahit isang saglit.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic central to kṣatriya-dharma: steadiness under pressure. When discipline and morale collapse, even a large force becomes ineffective; courage and cohesion are portrayed as decisive moral and strategic qualities.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava host, struck by the Pāṇḍavas’ archers, largely turns its back and flees, unable to hold position even briefly—signaling a sudden shift in momentum on the field.