Shloka 76
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
भीमसेनं रणे राजन् समन्तात् पर्यवारयत् | नरेश्वर! कलिंगोंके कई सहस्न रथ और दस हजार हाथियों एवं निषादोंके साथ केतुमान् उस रणस्थलमें भीमसेनको सब ओरसे रोकने लगा
sañjaya uvāca |
bhīmasenaṁ raṇe rājan samantāt paryavārayat |
nareśvara kaliṅgānāṁ bahavaḥ sahasraśo rathā daśa-sāhasrāṇi ca hastinaḥ niṣādaiḥ saha ketumān raṇa-sthale bhīmasenaṁ sarvataḥ paryavārayat |
kṣurābhyāṁ cakra-rakṣī ca kaliṅgasya mahābalau |
satyadevaṁ ca satyaṁ ca prāhiṇod yama-sādanam ||
Sañjaya sprach: O König, in der Schlacht wurde Bhīmasena von allen Seiten eingeschlossen. O Herr der Menschen, Ketumān—gestützt auf viele Tausende kalingscher Streitwagen, zehntausend Elefanten und die Niṣādas—umringte Bhīma auf dem Feld von allen Richtungen. Dann sandte er mit zwei scharfkantigen Pfeilen die mächtigen Radwächter des Königs von Kaliṅga, Satyadeva und Satya, in Yamas Wohnstatt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh dharma of battlefield duty: warriors face encirclement, counterattack, and death as immediate consequences of martial engagement; it also highlights how leadership and tactical formations (surrounding, chariot-guards) shape outcomes.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma is surrounded by Ketumān’s Kaliṅga forces—chariots, elephants, and Niṣādas. In the ensuing clash, two prominent chariot wheel-guards, Satyadeva and Satya, are struck down and sent to Yama’s realm.