Shloka 1536
अवासूजदू रथे तां तु बिभेद गदया गदाम् | फिर पराक्रमी राधापुत्र कर्णने भीमकी ही गदा उठा ली और उसे घुमाकर उन्हींके रथपर फेंका; किंतु भीमने दूसरी गदासे उस गदाको तोड़ डाला
avāsūjadū rathe tāṃ tu bibheda gadayā gadām |
Sañjaya said: Bhīma, standing firm in battle, struck and shattered that mace with his own mace. Thus, in the fierce exchange of weapons, strength was met with strength, and the warrior’s aggression was checked by an equal and timely counterblow—an image of how, in war, prowess and vigilance decide the moment’s outcome.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic that force must be met with alertness and proportionate response; prowess without vigilance is vulnerable, and timely restraint of an opponent’s strike is itself a form of disciplined kṣatriya conduct.
In the mace-exchange, Karṇa hurls or directs a mace toward Bhīma’s chariot, and Bhīma counters by striking it with his own mace, breaking the incoming weapon mid-action.