Shloka 43
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
भीममेवाभ्यवर्तन्त रणे<न्ये तु पदातय: । प्रक्षेड्यास्फोट्य संहृष्टा वीरलोक॑ यियासव:,तब रणभूमिमें अन्य पैदल योद्धा हर्ष और उत्साहमें भरकर भुजाओंपर ताल ठोंकते और सिंहनाद करते हुए वीरलोकमें जानेकी इच्छासे भीमसेनके ही सामने आ पहुँचे
bhīmam evābhyavartanta raṇe 'nye tu padātayaḥ | prakṣedyāsphoṭya saṁhṛṣṭā vīralokaṁ yiyāsavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In that battle, the other foot-soldiers too advanced straight toward Bhīma alone. Exultant and thrilled, slapping their arms and raising loud martial cries, they came before him, eager to depart to the heroes’ world—driven by reckless ardor and the fatal resolve of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the war-ethos where exhilaration and the desire for heroic fame can override prudence. It implicitly contrasts true dharmic courage—disciplined and purposeful—with reckless ardor that treats death as a sought-after destination.
Sanjaya describes how other infantrymen, energized and shouting, rush directly at Bhima on the battlefield, challenging him with arm-slapping and loud cries, as if eager to attain the heroes’ world through a glorious death.