Mahabharata 9.13.32 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 32
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ततो राजन् महाबाहुर्भीमसेन: प्रतापवान् | संत्यज्य मनसा प्राणान् मद्राधिपमयोधयत्
tato rājan mahābāhur bhīmasenaḥ pratāpavān | saṃtyajya manasā prāṇān madrādhipam ayodhayat ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, the mighty-armed and valiant Bhīmasena—having in his mind renounced even his own life—engaged the lord of Madra in battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of unwavering resolve in battle—so intense that one mentally relinquishes attachment to life itself. Ethically, it points to the gravity of war: courage and duty can demand total commitment, yet that very commitment magnifies the moral burden and consequences of violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, renowned for strength and prowess, steels himself to the point of mentally abandoning concern for his own life and then directly engages Śalya, the king of Madra, in combat.
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