Shloka 256

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

रथैरनेकसाहसैर्भीमस्यावारयद्‌ दिश: । अपने पुत्रको मारा गया देख कलिंगराजने कई हजार रथोंके द्वारा भीमसेनकी सम्पूर्ण दिशाओंको रोक लिया

Transliteration

rathair aneka-sāhasair bhīmasyāvārayad diśaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing his own son slain, the king of Kaliṅga, driven by grief and wrath, blocked all directions around Bhīmasena with many thousands of chariots—an act of desperate retaliation amid the moral chaos of war.

Word by Word

• रथैः: by chariots
• रथैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथ
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• अनेक: many
• अनेक: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अनेक
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• साहसैः: thousands
• साहसैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: साहस
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• भीमस्य: of Bhima
• भीमस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• अवारयत्: blocked/checked/warded off
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (वारयति, caus.)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• दिशः: directions (quarters)
• दिशः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: दिश्
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīma (Bhīmasena)
• Kaliṅgarāja (King of Kaliṅga)
• ratha (chariots)
• diś (directions/quarters)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how personal loss in war can rapidly turn into retaliatory action; it implicitly warns that grief and anger can drive escalation, testing dharma even for kṣatriyas bound to fight.

What is happening in the narrative?

After his son is killed, the king of Kaliṅga responds by deploying many thousands of chariots to block and surround Bhīmasena from all sides, attempting to check his advance on the battlefield.