Shloka 75
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
भीमसेन शरैश्कछिन्नैराच्छन्ना वसुधाभवत् | भीमसेनके बाणोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न हुए रथियों, घुड़सवारों, सारथियों, पैदलों, घोड़ों और हाथियोंकी लाशोंसे वहाँकी धरती आच्छादित हो गयी थी || ७४ $ ।। तत् स्तम्भितमिवातिष्ठद् भीमसेनभयार्दितम्,उस महासमरमें दुर्योधनकी सारी सेना भीमसेनके भयसे पीड़ित हो स्तब्ध-सी खड़ी थी। उत्साहशून्य, घायल, निश्रेष्ट, भयंकर और अत्यन्त दीन-सी प्रतीत होती थी
sañjaya uvāca |
bhīmasena-śaraiś chinnair ācchannā vasudhābhavat |
tat stambhitam ivātiṣṭhad bhīmasena-bhayārditam |
(duryodhanasya senā mahāsamare) utsāhaśūnyā kṣatā niḥśreṣṭhā bhayaṅkarī cātyanta-dīnā iva babhūva |
Sañjaya said: The earth was covered with those cut down by Bhīmasena’s arrows—chariot-warriors, horsemen, drivers, foot-soldiers, horses, and elephants—lying slain and mangled. In that great battle, Duryodhana’s entire host, tormented by fear of Bhīmasena, stood as if petrified—bereft of spirit, wounded, disordered, and appearing dreadful yet utterly wretched.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral reality of war: even when a warrior’s prowess is extraordinary, the battlefield becomes a field of suffering, and fear can paralyze collective will. It implicitly warns that victory pursued through terror and slaughter carries an ethical and psychological cost—dehumanizing combatants and collapsing dhairya (steadfastness) and utsāha (courage).
Sañjaya describes Bhīma’s devastating assault: the ground is strewn with bodies of various troops and animals cut down by his arrows. Duryodhana’s army, overwhelmed by Bhīma’s onslaught, stands stunned and spiritless in the midst of the great battle.