Shloka 363
भूतान्तकमिवायान्तं कालदण्डोग्रधारिणम् । भयानक कालदण्ड धारण किये, समस्त भूतोंके प्राणहन्ता यमराजके समान उसे विशाल धनुष उठाये आते देख वहाँ उपस्थित हुए वे सभी नरेश व्यथित हो उठे
bhūtāntakam ivāyāntaṃ kāladaṇḍogradhāriṇam | bhayānaka-kāladaṇḍaṃ dhārayitvā samasta-bhūtānāṃ prāṇahantā yamarāja-samam enaṃ viśāla-dhanuṣam utthāya āyāntaṃ dṛṣṭvā tatra upasthitāḥ sarve nṛpā vyathitā babhūvuḥ |
Sañjaya said: Seeing him advance like the Ender of all beings—bearing a fearsome staff of Time, like Yama the slayer of life—coming forward with a great bow raised, all the kings present there were shaken with distress. The scene casts the warrior’s approach as an embodiment of inevitable death, making the battlefield feel like the court of fate itself.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical vision that war unleashes forces resembling Kāla (Time) and Yama (Death): once violence is set in motion, even mighty rulers feel the helplessness of mortals before inevitability. It cautions against pride and highlights the moral weight of actions that summon destruction.
Sañjaya describes a formidable warrior approaching with a great bow, portrayed metaphorically as Yama or the ‘ender of beings’ carrying the staff of Time. The assembled kings, witnessing this ominous advance, become agitated and fearful, sensing imminent slaughter.