Shloka 116
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
बभूव सुमहान् शब्द: सागरस्येव गर्जतः । भरतनन्दन! संग्रामभूमिमें युद्ध करती हुई उस कलिंग-सेनाका महान् कोलाहल समुद्रकी गर्जनाके समान जान पड़ता था,भीमसेनस्ततो राजन्नपयाते महाव्रते । प्रजज्वाल यथा वद्विर्दहन् कक्षमिवेधित: राजन! महान् व्रतधारी भीष्मके रणभूमिसे हट जानेपर भीमसेन घास-फूसके ढेरमें लगी हुई आगके समान अपने तेजसे प्रज्वलित हो रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca |
babhūva sumahān śabdaḥ sāgarasyeva garjataḥ |
bharatanandana saṅgrāmabhūmau yuddhaṃ kurvatyāḥ kaliṅga-senāyā mahān kolāhalaḥ sāgaragarjanāsamaḥ pratibhāti |
bhīmasenas tato rājan apayāte mahāvrate |
prajajvāla yathā vahnir dahan kakṣam ivedhitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: A tremendous roar arose, like the ocean thundering. O descendant of Bharata, the great tumult of the Kalinga forces fighting on the battlefield seemed like the sea’s own roar. Then, O king, when the great vow-keeper Bhīṣma withdrew from the field, Bhīmasena blazed forth in splendor—like a fire kindled in dry brushwood, consuming it as it spreads.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vows and duty shape conduct in war: Bhīṣma is marked by steadfast restraint (a ‘great vow’), while Bhīma’s righteous fury intensifies when the battlefield’s balance shifts. Ethically, it contrasts disciplined commitment with the surge of martial energy that can arise when a formidable elder withdraws.
Sañjaya describes the deafening tumult of the Kalinga troops in combat, likening it to the ocean’s roar. Then he notes that after Bhīṣma—renowned for his great vow—pulls back from the fighting, Bhīma’s prowess flares up like a fire spreading through dry brushwood.