Shloka 73

Devanagari script

दृष्टवा भीमस्य विक्रान्तमन्तकस्य प्रजास्विव । महाराज! जैसे प्रजावर्गपर यमराजका बल काम करता है, उसी प्रकार भीमसेनका वह पराक्रम देखकर कर्णके मनमें महान्‌ भय समा गया

Transliteration

dṛṣṭvā bhīmasya vikrāntam antakasya prajāsvi iva | mahārāja! yathā prajā-varga-pari yamarājasya balaṁ kāmaṁ karoti, tathā bhīmasenasya tat parākramaṁ dṛṣṭvā karṇasya manasi mahān bhayaḥ samāviśat |

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O großer König! Als Karṇa Bhīmas wilde, furchterregende Tapferkeit erblickte—gleich der Macht Antakas/Yamas, des Todes, die unweigerlich über alle Lebenden kommt—drang große Furcht in sein Herz.

Word by Word

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

भीमस्यof Bhima

विक्रान्तम्valiant, mighty

अन्तकस्यof Antaka (Death)

प्रजासुamong (his) subjects/creatures

इवas if, like

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīma (Bhīmasena)

Karṇa

Yama (Yamarāja/Antaka)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'mahārāja')

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the inevitability of death and fate (symbolized by Yama/Antaka) and shows that even celebrated warriors can be inwardly shaken. Ethically, it frames martial prowess as something that can resemble an impersonal cosmic force—reminding readers of human vulnerability amid the duties and terrors of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Karṇa, seeing Bhīma’s overwhelming combat prowess, becomes deeply afraid. Bhīma’s force is compared to Yama’s power over living beings, emphasizing how formidable Bhīma appears at this moment in the battle.