Shloka 58

Devanagari script

भैमसेनिर्महामायो मायया कुरुसत्तम

Transliteration

bhaimasenir mahāmāyo māyayā kurusattama

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O Bester der Kurus, Bhīmasenas Sohn—mächtig in großer Māyā—durch seine eigene Täuschung…“

Word by Word

• भैमसेनिः: Bhīmasena's son (Bhīmasena = Bhīma; i.e., Ghaṭotkaca)
• भैमसेनिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैमसेनि
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• महामायः: one possessing great magical power; great illusionist
• महामायः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महामाय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• मायया: by (his) magic/illusion
• मायया: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: माया
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• कुरुसत्तम: O best of the Kurus
• कुरुसत्तम: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: कुरुसत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kurusattama (Dhṛtarāṣṭra, implied addressee)
• Bhīmasena
• Bhīmasena’s son (Ghaṭotkaca, implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights māyā—illusion or tactical deception—as a decisive force in war, raising the ethical tension between straightforward kṣatriya conduct and the battlefield’s demand for effective strategy. It invites reflection on how power and cunning can alter outcomes, and how rulers must judge such means within dharma’s constraints.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya continues reporting the Kurukṣetra battle to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, introducing an action performed by Bhīma’s son (commonly Ghaṭotkaca), renowned for extraordinary illusory powers, indicating that he is about to employ māyā against the Kuru forces.