Shloka 4
Droṇa’s Defensive Stand and Abhimanyu Commissioned to Breach the Cakravyūha (द्रोणानीक-प्रतिरोधः; सौभद्र-नियोजनम्)
युगान्ते चान्तको राजन् जामदम्न्यश्न वीर्यवान् रथस्थो भीमसेनश्व कथ्यन्ते सदृशास्त्रय:,राजन! प्रलयकालके यमराज, पराक्रमी परशुराम और रथपर बैठे हुए भीमसेन--ये तीनों एक समान कहे जाते हैं
yugānte cāntako rājan jāmadamnyaś ca vīryavān | rathastho bhīmasenaś ca kathyante sadṛśās trayaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, at the end of the age, Antaka (Death) himself; the mighty Jāmadagnya (Paraśurāma); and Bhīmasena standing upon his chariot—these three are spoken of as alike.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches, through a stark simile, that unchecked martial force can resemble cosmic destruction: Bhīma’s battlefield might is likened to Death and to Paraśurāma, reminding the listener that war carries the moral weight of ending lives and overturning order.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra, characterizing Bhīma’s terrifying presence in the Drona-parvan battle. He heightens the scene by saying that Death at the end of time, Paraśurāma, and Bhīma on his chariot are regarded as comparable in power.