Shloka 53
भीमसेन-धृष्टद्युम्नयोर्वाक्यं
Bhīmasena and Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Speeches on Kṣātra-Dharma
स तथा भियद्यमानेषु कार्मुकेषु पुन: पुन:,इस प्रकार जब बारंबार धनुष काटे जाने लगे, तब भीमसेनने समरभूमिमें सम्पूर्णतः लोहेकी बनी हुई एक सुन्दर शक्ति चलायी, जो मौतकी सगी बहिनके समान जान पड़ती थी। वह आगकी ज्वालाके समान प्रकाशित हो रही थी
sa tathā bhiyadyamāneṣu kārmukeṣu punaḥ punaḥ | bhīmasenaḥ samarabhūmau samantato lohamayīṃ sundarīṃ śaktiṃ cikṣepa sā mṛtyoḥ svasā iva pratibhāti sma | sā agnijvālā iva pradīpyamānā babhāsa |
Sanjaya said: Even as the bows were being cut down again and again, Bhimasena on the battlefield hurled a splendid śakti-spear, forged wholly of iron. It seemed like Death’s own sister, blazing forth like a tongue of fire—an image of war’s relentless, sobering inevitability.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical weight of war: even heroic prowess manifests through instruments of death. The imagery—Death’s ‘sister’ and fire-like radiance—reminds the listener that martial success is inseparable from mortality and consequence, a sobering dimension of kṣatriya-dharma.
As bows are repeatedly cut down in the fighting, Bhīma escalates the assault by hurling a splendid iron śakti (spear/javelin). Its terrifying brilliance is compared to flame and to Death’s close kin, emphasizing its lethal intent and the intensity of the battle.