Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 43
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
वज्हस्तं यथा शक्रं शूलहस्तं यथा हरम् । ददृशु: सर्वपञ्चाला: पुत्रं तव जनाधिप,नरेश्वर! सम्पूर्ण पांचालोंने आपके पुत्रको वज्रधारी इन्द्र और त्रिशूलधारी रुद्रके समान देखा
vajrahastaṁ yathā śakraṁ śūlahastaṁ yathā haram | dadṛśuḥ sarvapañcālāḥ putraṁ tava janādhipa nareśvara ||
Sañjaya said: “O lord of men, O king— all the Pañcālas beheld your son as if he were Śakra (Indra) bearing the thunderbolt, and as if he were Hara (Rudra/Śiva) bearing the trident.” The verse heightens the battlefield vision of irresistible might, framing the prince’s prowess in divine imagery that both inspires awe and underscores the grave moral weight of war’s destructive power.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches how epic poetry uses divine comparisons to convey extraordinary human prowess, while implicitly reminding that such power—akin to Indra’s and Śiva’s—carries immense responsibility and can become fearsome when unleashed in war.
Sañjaya reports to the blind king Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pañcāla forces, witnessing the king’s son on the battlefield, perceived him as overwhelmingly formidable—like Indra with the vajra and Śiva with the trident.
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