Shloka 55
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
मेदोरुधिरदिग्धाड़ो वसामज्जासमुक्षित: । व्यचरत् समरे भीमो दण्डपाणिरिवान्तक:,भीमसेनका सारा शरीर मेदा तथा रक्तसे लिए हो रहा था। वे वसा और मज्जासे नहा गये थे और हाथमें गदा लिये दण्डपाणि यमराजके समान उस युद्धभूमिमें विचर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | medorudhiradigdhāṅgo vasāmajjāsamukṣitaḥ | vyacarat samare bhīmo daṇḍapāṇir ivāntakaḥ ||
সঞ্জয় বললেন—মেদ ও রক্তে লেপিত, চর্বি ও মজ্জায় যেন স্নাত, হাতে গদা নিয়ে ভীম সমরক্ষেত্রে দণ্ডধারী অন্তকের মতো বিচরণ করছিলেন।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of warfare: when battle turns into mass killing, the warrior’s role can resemble punitive cosmic justice (daṇḍa). It evokes the idea that adharma invites terrifying retribution, and that violence, even when duty-bound, carries a grim moral atmosphere.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma is roaming the battlefield in a fearsome state—his body smeared with blood and fat, soaked in grease and marrow—brandishing his weapon and appearing like Yama (Antaka), the personification of death and punishment.