Shloka 13
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
नाहं महेन्द्रादपि वजपाणे: क्रुद्धाद् बिभेम्यायुधवान् रथस्थ: । दृष्टवा हि भीष्मप्रमुखाउशयाना- नतीव मां हास्थिरता जहाति
nāhaṃ mahendrād api vajrapāṇeḥ kruddhād bibhemy āyudhavān rathasthaḥ | dṛṣṭvā hi bhīṣmapramukhān śayānān atīva māṃ hā sthiratā jahāti ||
桑阇耶说道：“纵使帝释天——执金刚杵者——盛怒而来，我也不惧；我披甲执兵，立于战车之上。然而当我看见以毗湿摩为首的诸位顶尖英雄倒卧尘土之时，我的镇定竟全然离我而去。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts physical fearlessness with moral-emotional collapse: a warrior may claim courage before even divine threats, yet the sight of revered elders and great heroes fallen can shatter inner steadiness. It highlights the human cost of war and the fragility of composure when confronted with irreversible loss.
Sañjaya reports his own state of mind amid the Kurukṣetra war. He says he would not fear even Indra’s wrath while armed on his chariot, but seeing Bhīṣma and other leading warriors lying fallen on the battlefield makes him lose his firmness and composure.