Shloka 196
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
योधयामास कालिऊ्ू स्वबाहुबलमाश्रित: । तब महाबाहु भीमने अपने बाहुबलका आश्रय लेकर सुन्दर धनुषकी टंकार फैलाते हुए कलिंगराजसे युद्ध आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca | yodhayāmāsa kaliṅgaṃ svabāhubalam āśritaḥ | tadā mahābāhuḥ bhīmaḥ svabāhubalasya āśrayaṃ kṛtvā sundara-dhanuṣaḥ ṭaṅkāraṃ vistārayann iva kaliṅgarājena saha yuddham ārabdhavān |
Sañjaya said: Relying on the strength of his own arms, Bhīma of mighty arms engaged the king of Kalinga in battle. Then, taking refuge in his own prowess and spreading the resonant twang of his splendid bow, Bhīma began the fight—an image of personal valor set within the duty-bound violence of Kurukṣetra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣātra-vīrya (warrior valor) and self-reliance in action: Bhima enters combat depending on his own strength. In the epic’s ethical frame, such prowess is not mere aggression but is situated within the battlefield duty (dharma) of a kṣatriya during the Kurukshetra war.
Sanjaya describes Bhima initiating combat with the Kalinga king. Bhima, famed for physical power, signals the start of the engagement with the loud twang of his bow and then fights, marking an intensification of the battle scenes in Bhishma Parva.