Shloka 48
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
सासिमुत्तमवेगेन विचरन्तं महारणे । वे मूढ सैनिक गर्जना करते हुए उन्हींके पास दौड़े चले आते (और मारे जाते) थे। भीमसेन हाथमें तलवार लिये उस महान संग्राममें बड़े वेगसे विचरण करते थे ।।
sāsim uttama-vegena vicarantaṃ mahā-raṇe | nikṛty rathināṃ cājau ratheṣv aśnāṃ yugāni ca ||
Sañjaya said: In that great battle, Bhīmasena moved about with superb speed, sword in hand. Having cut down the chariot-warriors in the fight, he also severed the yokes of the horses on their chariots—so that the deluded soldiers, rushing in with loud cries, came near only to be slain. The scene underscores how unchecked fury and confusion in war lead men to destruction, while prowess without restraint becomes a force that shatters both men and their means of escape.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, delusion and impulsive aggression lead to ruin; it also shows the terrifying efficiency of martial skill when driven by wrath, raising an ethical tension between kṣatriya duty and the human cost of violence.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma moving rapidly with a sword, cutting down chariot-fighters and even severing the horses’ yokes on their chariots, disabling them; soldiers who rush toward him shouting are struck down.