Shloka 16
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
खं च भूमिं च संरुद्धां मेनिरे क्षत्रियर्षभा: । पुनर्घोरेण नादेन पाण्डवस्य महात्मन:,वहाँ आये हुए क्षत्रियशिरोमणि योद्धा महामना पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनके बारंबार होनेवाले घोर सिंहनादसे आकाश और पृथ्वीको व्याप्त मानने लगे
khaṃ ca bhūmiṃ ca saṃruddhāṃ menire kṣatriyarṣabhāḥ | punar ghoreṇa nādena pāṇḍavasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The foremost of warriors, those bulls among kṣatriyas who had gathered there, felt as though both sky and earth were filled and hemmed in by the repeated, terrifying lion-roar of the great-souled Pāṇḍava.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a kṣatriya ethic of steadfastness in battle: righteous resolve is expressed outwardly to protect one’s own side from fear and to deter aggression. Moral strength is shown as both inner courage (mahātman) and disciplined, purposeful display (the repeated roar) rather than mere rage.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield reaction to Bhīma’s repeated, fearsome lion-roar. The assembled elite warriors feel as if the roar pervades and constricts sky and earth, emphasizing the overwhelming impact of Bhīma’s presence and the intimidation it causes.