ततः प्रविव्यथे सेना पाण्डवी भृशम् आकुला ॥
आचार्यपुत्रेण हते नीले ज्वलिततेजसि ॥
अचिन्तयंश् च ते सर्वे पाण्डवानां महारथाः ॥
कथं नो वासविस् त्रायाच् छत्रुभ्य इति मारिष ॥
दक्षिणेन तु सेनायाः कुरुते कदनं बली ॥
संशप्तकावशेषस्य नारायणबलस्य च ॥
tataḥ pravivyathe senā pāṇḍavī bhṛśam ākulā ||
ācāryaputreṇa hate nīle jvalitatejasi ||
acintayaṃś ca te sarve pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
kathaṃ no vāsavis trāyāc chatrubhya iti māriṣa ||
dakṣiṇena tu senāyāḥ kurute kadanaṃ balī ||
saṃśaptakāvaśeṣasya nārāyaṇabalasya ca ||
Then the host of the Pandavas shuddered, greatly thrown into confusion, when Nila of fiery might was struck down by the preceptor's son. And all the great chariot-warriors among the Pandavas thought, "How will the son of Vasava protect us from our enemies?", O worthy one. Meanwhile, in the south, the mighty Arjuna was wreaking carnage upon the remnant of the Samshaptakas and the host of Narayanas.
ee70201612fe · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:11:21 PM UTC
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The death of a single Nila throws the whole army into turmoil, and every mind turns to one thought: "how will Arjuna save us?" This shows how much an entire host depends on hope placed in a single protector -- while he is far away, the death of anyone at all breeds fear. It is telling that in the hour of need every eye turns not inward but toward an absent savior. The verse teaches that an army accustomed to relying on one man loses its resolve in his absence; that excessive reliance on a single protector is both strength and weakness -- strength while he is near, weakness while he is far; and that it is wiser to cultivate steadiness in every soldier than to place everything on one, for a host whose firmness depends solely on the presence of its savior will falter every time he steps away.