Mahabharata 9.57.67 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 57, Shloka 67
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
स सिंहनादं विननाद कौरवो निपात्य भूमौ युधि भीममोजसा । बिभेद चैवाशनितुल्यमोजसा गदानिपातेन शरीररक्षणम्
sa siṁhanādaṁ vinanāda kauravo nipātya bhūmau yudhi bhīmam ojasā | bibheda caivāśanitulyam ojasā gadānipātena śarīrarakṣaṇam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem er Bhīma mitten im Kampf allein durch rohe Kraft zu Boden geschleudert hatte, brüllte der Kaurava-König (Duryodhana) wie ein Löwe. Dann zerschmetterte er mit einem keulenschweren Schlag, von blitzgleich gewaltiger Wucht getrieben, Bhīmasenas Körperschutz—seine Rüstung—und zeigte, wie rohe Stärke und Kriegskunst selbst gewaltige Abwehr in der unerbittlichen Ethik des Krieges überwinden können.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: strength, technique, and relentless resolve can break even strong protections. Ethically, it underscores how pride and triumphal display (the lion-roar) accompany victory, while the battlefield context frames such acts within the accepted—but grim—code of war.
Sañjaya describes Duryodhana overpowering Bhīma in the mace-duel: he knocks Bhīma to the ground, roars in triumph, and strikes with such force that Bhīma’s armor/body-protection is shattered by the mace-blow.
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