Shloka 32
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
तोमरान् प्राहिणोच्छीघ्रं चतुर्दश शिलाशितान् | तब कलिंगराजने रणक्षेत्रमें अत्यन्त कुपित हो भीमसेनपर तुरंत ही चौदह तोमरोंका प्रहार किया, जिन्हें सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किया गया था ।।
tomarān prāhiṇoc chīghraṁ caturdaśa śilāśitān | tān prāptān mahābāhuḥ khagatān iva pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Der König von Kaliṅga, von Zorn entflammt auf dem Schlachtfeld, schleuderte eilends vierzehn Tomara-Speere, deren Schneiden am Stein geschärft waren, gegen Bhīmasena. Als jene Waffen auf ihn zuflogen, trat ihnen der mächtigarmige Pāṇḍava entgegen, als wären es Vögel im Flug — unerschüttert in der Gewalt des Krieges, fest in Mut und Entschlusskraft.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: even when confronted by sudden, sharpened weapons hurled in anger, a warrior is expected to remain steady, courageous, and skillful rather than shaken by fear or provoked into reckless rage.
Sañjaya describes the king of Kaliṅga, enraged in combat, hurling fourteen stone-whetted tomara-spears at Bhīma. Bhīma, called the mighty-armed Pāṇḍava, faces the incoming missiles confidently, likened to dealing with birds in flight.