Shloka 33
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
अद्भुतं च महाराज तत्र चक्रे वृकोदर: । यत् पुत्रांस्तेडवधीत् संख्ये द्रोणं चैव न््यवारयत्
adbhutaṃ ca mahārāja tatra cakre vṛkodaraḥ | yat putrāṃs te ’vadhīt saṅkhye droṇaṃ caiva nyavārayat ||
قال سنجيا: «أيها الملك العظيم، لقد أتى فِرْكودَرا (بهِيما) هناك بأمرٍ عجيب حقًّا؛ ففي غمار القتال قتل أبناءك، وكفَّ درونا أيضًا ومنعه من التقدّم. لقد كان ذلك إظهارًا خارقًا للقوة في ساحة المعركة.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights two battlefield virtues often praised in epic ethics: decisive valor (slaying enemies in open combat) and strategic restraint (checking a formidable opponent’s advance). It frames Bhīma’s action as extraordinary not merely for killing, but for controlling the flow of battle by containing Droṇa.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma (Vṛkodara) performed an astonishing deed on the battlefield: he killed some of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons and simultaneously prevented Droṇa from pushing forward, thereby disrupting the Kaurava offensive.