Shloka 52
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
अथोदश्राम्य गदां भीम: कालदण्डमिवान्तक:
athodaśrāmya gadāṃ bhīmaḥ kāladaṇḍam ivāntakaḥ
Sañjaya said: Then Bhīma, unwearied, took up his mace—like Yama, the Lord of Death, lifting the staff of Time—signaling relentless resolve amid the grim duties of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inexorable momentum of time and death in war: a warrior’s force, when aligned with duty, can appear as unstoppable as Yama’s rod—reminding readers of mortality and the grave ethical weight of violence.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma taking up his mace without fatigue, comparing him to Antaka (Yama) wielding the kāladaṇḍa, emphasizing Bhīma’s terrifying power and relentless readiness in the battle context.