Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 273
अध्याय ३: कृपस्य दुर्योधनं प्रति नीत्युपदेशः
Kṛpa’s Counsel to Duryodhana
विनेदु: सहसा दृष्टवा भूतग्रामा इवान्तकम् | क्रोधमें भरे हुए वे रणदुर्मद योद्धा भीमसेनसे भिड़कर सहसा उसी प्रकार आर्तनाद करने लगे, जैसे प्राणियोंके समुदाय यमराजको देखकर चीख उठते हैं
vineduḥ sahasā dṛṣṭvā bhūtagrāmā ivāntakam | krodhena bharitāḥ sarve raṇadurmadayodhakāḥ bhīmasenena saṃyuktāḥ sahasā ruruṣuḥ yathā prāṇisaṃghā yamam dṛṣṭvā krandanti ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Bhīmasena all at once, those warriors—though swollen with battlefield pride and filled with anger—cried out in sudden distress, just as a multitude of creatures shriek upon beholding Antaka, the Lord of Death. The verse underscores how, in war, arrogance and rage collapse instantly when confronted by overwhelming might and the nearness of death.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the fragility of pride and anger in the face of death: even the most battle-intoxicated warriors can be reduced to helpless fear when confronted by a force that embodies their mortality.
Sañjaya describes how the opposing warriors, upon suddenly encountering Bhīmasena in combat, cry out in anguish—likened to living beings panicking at the sight of Yama/Antaka—signaling Bhīma’s overwhelming presence on the battlefield.