Shloka 25
भीमसेनमभिप्रेक्ष्य गजो गजमिवादह्दयत् | नरेश्वर! तदनन्तर शक्तिशाली कुरुवंशी राजा दुर्योधन प्रसन्नचित्त हो गदा हाथमें ले क्रोधसे लाल आँखें करके गलफरोंको चाटता और लंबी साँसें खींचता हुआ भीमसेनकी ओर देखकर उसी प्रकार ललकारने लगा, जैसे एक हाथी दूसरे हाथीको पुकार रहा हो ।। अद्विसारमयीं भीमस्तथैवादाय वीर्यवान्
bhīmasenam abhiprekṣya gajo gajam ivāhvayat | nareśvara! tad-anantaraṁ śaktiśālī kuruvaṁśī rājā duryodhanaḥ prasannacitto gadāṁ haste gṛhītvā krodhena lohitākṣaḥ galapharān lihan dīrghān niḥśvāsān muñcan bhīmasenasya sammukhaṁ nirīkṣya tathā lalkāram akarot, yathā gajaḥ gajam āhvayati || advisāramayīṁ bhīmas tathaivādāya vīryavān ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Bhīmasena, Duryodhana challenged him like one elephant calling to another. Then that mighty king of the Kuru line, Duryodhana—his mind set in grim confidence—took up his mace; with eyes reddened by anger, licking his lips and drawing long breaths, he roared at Bhīma as a bull-elephant roars at a rival. And the valiant Bhīma likewise took up his own formidable mace.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked anger and rivalry intensify violence: the champions mirror animals in combativeness, suggesting that pride and wrath can reduce human judgment. It also frames the kṣatriya ideal of facing an equal opponent directly, while implicitly warning that inner states (krodha, mada) shape ethical outcomes in war.
Sañjaya describes Duryodhana spotting Bhīma and issuing a loud challenge, gripping his mace and showing signs of fury (red eyes, heavy breathing). Bhīma responds by taking up his own mace, setting the stage for their climactic mace-fight.