Shloka 21
सम्मोहश्नापि तुमुल: कुरूणाम भवत् ततः । कर्णदुर्योधनौ चापि नि:श्वसेतां मुहुर्मुहु:
sammohas tv api tumulaḥ kurūṇāṁ abhavat tataḥ | karṇa-duryodhanau cāpi niḥśvasetāṁ muhur muhuḥ ||
پھر کوروؤں پر سخت حیرت و سراسیمگی چھا گئی۔ کرن اور دریو دھن بھی بار بار گہری آہیں بھرنے لگے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner confusion (sammohā) manifests outwardly and undermines leadership. In a dharmic frame, when one’s cause and conduct are ethically unstable, moments of crisis produce agitation and loss of clarity, visible even in the body (repeated sighing).
Sañjaya reports that, after a significant turn in events, the Kuru forces fall into intense confusion. Even key leaders—Karna and Duryodhana—repeatedly sigh, indicating distress, uncertainty, and a shaken strategic and emotional state on the battlefield.