Shloka 33
रथे स्थिताश्व राजेन्द्र परिवद्रुर्व॑कोदरम् । राजन! राजेन्द्र! बहुत-से हाथियों, विजयाभिलाषी पैदल मनुष्यों तथा रथियोंने भी भीमसेनको घेर लिया था ।। स तै: परिवृतः शूरै: शूरो राजन् समन््ततः
rathe sthitāśva rājendra parivadruḥ vakodaram | rājan rājendra bahu-se hāthiyo vijayābhilāṣī paidal manuṣyo tathā rathiyo ne bhī bhīmasenaṃ gher liyā thā || sa taiḥ parivṛtaḥ śūraiḥ śūro rājan samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O king, the warriors with horses and chariots surged around Vṛkodara (Bhīma). Many elephants, victory-seeking foot-soldiers, and chariot-fighters also closed in and encircled Bhīmasena. Though surrounded on every side by brave men, that hero stood firm amid them.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: steadfast courage and composure when outnumbered. Ethical valor here is not aggression for its own sake, but the refusal to collapse under fear or pressure, maintaining resolve amid overwhelming opposition.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma (Vakodara) has been surrounded on all sides by multiple arms of the Kaurava forces—elephants, infantry, and chariot-fighters—who rush in seeking victory, forming a tight encirclement around him.