Shloka 34
परिवेषी यथा सोम: परिपूर्णो विराजते,जैसे घेरेसे घिरे हुए पूर्णिमाके चन्द्रमा प्रकाशित होते हों, उसी प्रकार युद्धस्थलमें दर्शनीय नरश्रेष्ठ भीमसेन शोभा पा रहे थे। महाराज! वे अर्जुनके समान ही प्रतीत होते थे। उनमें और अर्जुनमें कोई अन्तर नहीं रह गया था
pariveṣī yathā somaḥ paripūrṇo virājate | yathā gherese ghire hue pūrṇimāke candramā prakāśita hote hoṃ, usī prakāra yuddhasthaleṃ darśanīya naraśreṣṭha bhīmasena śobhā pā rahe the | mahārāja! ve arjunake samāna hī pratīta hote the | unameṃ aura arjunameṃ koī antara nahīṃ rah gayā thā |
Sañjaya said: “Just as the Moon, when full, shines splendidly while encircled by its halo, so too did Bhīmasena—most excellent among men—appear radiant and worthy of beholding on the battlefield. O King, he seemed equal to Arjuna; between him and Arjuna no difference could be discerned.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how true prowess and inner resolve manifest outwardly as ‘tejas’ (radiant excellence). In the ethical frame of the epic’s war narrative, it underscores the kṣatriya ideal: when duty is embraced without wavering, a warrior’s presence becomes unmistakably luminous and commands recognition—even to the point of being judged equal to the foremost hero.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma, on the battlefield, looks extraordinarily splendid. Using the image of the full moon shining within a halo, he says Bhīma appears so impressive that he seems indistinguishable from Arjuna in stature and martial brilliance at that moment.