Shloka 4

Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption

Devanagari script

जयोन्मत्तेन भीमश्न बह्चबद्धं प्रभाषित: । अक्षकूटं समाश्रित्य सौबलस्यात्मनो बलम्‌

Transliteration

jayōnmattena bhīmaśna bahcabaddhaṃ prabhāṣitaḥ | akṣakūṭaṃ samāśritya saubalasya ātmano balam ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: In a frenzy of triumph, Bhīma spoke in a harsh, tightly bound taunt, relying on the “dice-heap”—the emblem of deceitful gambling—and on the strength of Śakuni, the son of Subala, as well as on his own power.

Word by Word

जय-उन्मत्तेनby one intoxicated with victory

भीमसेनःBhimasena

बाहु-बद्धम्bound by the arms / arm-bound

प्रभाषितःspoke / addressed

अक्ष-कूटम्the dice-heap (dice-pile); (fig.) the gambling stratagem

समाश्रित्यhaving resorted to / relying on

सौबलस्यof Saubala (Shakuni)

आत्मनःof himself / his own

बलम्strength, power

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīma

Śakuni (Saubala, son of Subala)

akṣa (dice)

akṣakūṭa (dice-heap / gambling emblem)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how victory can intoxicate the mind and corrupt speech, and it recalls the dice-game as a symbol of adharma (deceit) whose consequences spill into war. Ethical restraint in speech and humility in success are implied as dharmic counterpoints.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, elated by success, speaks sharply and provocatively, invoking the memory/symbol of the dice episode and referencing Śakuni (Saubala), whose cunning in gambling helped precipitate the conflict.