Shloka 41
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
ये ये ददृशिरे तत्र यद्यद्रूपास्तदा जना: । ते ते तत्र शरैरव्याप्त॑ मेनिरेडडत्मानमात्मना,उस समय वहाँ जो-जो मनुष्य जिस-जिस रूपमें दिखायी देते थे, वे-वे स्वयं ही अपने- आपको बाणोंसे व्याप्त मानने लगे
ye ye dadṛśire tatra yadyadrūpās tadā janāḥ | te te tatra śarair avyāptān menire ātmanam ātmanā ||
Sañjaya nói: “Ở đó, vào lúc ấy, bất cứ ai hiện ra dưới hình dạng nào—mỗi người ngay tại chỗ ấy đều tự cảm thấy trong mình như bị tên xuyên thấu và tràn ngập.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the chaos of war, the mind can project danger onto the self: fear and confusion make people feel ‘struck’ even when the blow is not truly upon them. The verse highlights how perception, not only physical force, shapes suffering and moral collapse on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield scene in which those present, appearing in various conditions and forms, each comes to believe that he is being pierced or filled with arrows—suggesting widespread panic, disorientation, or a terrifying martial phenomenon affecting the combatants.