Shloka 33
Daśame’hani Bhīṣma-yuddham — Śikhaṇḍī-rakṣaṇa, Arjuna-prabhāva, Duryodhana-āśraya-vākyam
ते वध्यमाना बलिना भीमसेनेन दन्तिन:
te vadhyamānā balinā bhīmasenena dantinaḥ
Sañjaya sprach: Jene Elefanten, von dem übermächtigen Bhīmasena niedergestreckt, wurden hingemetzelt—ein Bild überwältigender Gewalt auf dem Schlachtfeld, wo bloße Stärke selbst die stolzesten Kriegstiere zu Opfern des Schicksals macht.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal reality of war: power and martial skill can overturn even formidable forces like war elephants, reminding the listener that battlefield glory is inseparable from destruction and the workings of destiny within kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, acting with great strength in the battle, is cutting down the enemy’s elephants; the line highlights the scale of his force and the collapse of a major arm of the opposing army.