Shloka 716
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
कालिड्रमभिदुद्राव तिष्ठ तिछेति चाब्रवीत् | शत्रुसूदन कुन्तीकुमार भीम तुरंत ही उस रथपर आरूढ़ हो कलिंगराजकी ओर दौड़े और बोले--'अरे! खड़ा रह, खड़ा रह”
kāliṅgarājam abhidudrāva tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti cābravīt | śatrusūdanaḥ kuntīkumāro bhīmas tūrṇam eva tasmin rathopari ārūḍhaḥ kaliṅgarājasya samīpam ājagāma, uvāca ca—“are tiṣṭha, tiṣṭha” |
Sañjaya said: Bhīma, the Kuntī-born slayer of foes, swiftly mounted that chariot and charged straight at the king of Kaliṅga. Closing in, he shouted a warrior’s challenge: “Stand your ground! Stand!”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid battle, the epic highlights kṣatriya-dharma: confronting an opponent openly and directly. Bhīma’s shouted challenge—“Stand and fight”—signals a preference for face-to-face combat over pursuit of the fleeing or the unsuspecting, aligning valor with a code of conduct.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma quickly mounting a chariot and charging toward the king of Kaliṅga. As he approaches, Bhīma calls out repeatedly for the king to stand his ground, initiating a direct engagement.