Shloka 20

Devanagari script

महाभये वीतभय: कृतास्त्र: समागमे शत्रुबलावमर्दी । सकृद्‌ रथेनाप्रतिमान्‌ रथौघान्‌ पदातिसंघान्‌ गदयाभिनिध्नन्‌,जो भारी-से-भारी भय आनेपर भी निर्भय रहते हैं, जिन्होंने सम्पूर्ण अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी शिक्षा प्राप्त की है तथा जो संग्रामभूमिमें शत्रुसेनाको रौंद डालते हैं, वे ही शूरवीर भीमसेन जब एकमात्र रथपर आरूढ़ हो गदाके आघातसे असंख्य रथसमूहों तथा पैदल सैनिकोंको मौतके घाट उतारते और छींकोंके समान फंदोंमें बड़े-बड़े नागोंको फँसाकर मरे हुए बछड़ोंके समान उन्हें बलपूर्वक घसीटते हुए दुर्योधनकी सेनाको वैसे ही छिन्न-भिन्न करने लगेंगे, जैसे कोई फरसेसे जंगल काट रहा हो, उस समय धुृतराष्ट्रपुत्र मन-ही-मन यह सोचकर पछतायेगा कि मैंने युद्ध छेड़कर बड़ी भारी भूल की है

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

mahābhaye vītabhayaḥ kṛtāstraḥ samāgame śatrubalāvamardī |

sakṛd rathenāpratimān rathaughān padātisaṅghān gadayābhinighnan ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Even amid great peril he remains fearless; fully trained in the use of weapons, and in the clash of battle a crusher of the enemy’s strength. Mounted on a single chariot, Bhīmasena will strike down incomparable masses of chariots and dense ranks of infantry with blows of his mace—an image of overwhelming force that warns of the ruin brought by unrighteous war and the bitter regret it breeds in those who provoke it.

Word by Word

महाभयेin great fear/dread

वीतभयःfree from fear, fearless

कृतास्त्रःtrained/versed in weapons

समागमेin the encounter/battle

शत्रुबलावमर्दीcrusher of the enemy’s force

सकृत्once; at a single time

रथेनwith/by a chariot

अप्रतिमान्unmatched, peerless

रथौघान्masses/streams of chariots

पदातिसंघान्groups of foot-soldiers

गदयाभिनिध्नन्striking down with a mace

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Bhimasena

enemy army (śatrubala)

chariot (ratha)

mace (gadā)

chariot-hosts (rathaugha)

infantry (padāti)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the terrifying competence of a righteous warrior—fearless and fully trained—while implicitly warning that initiating an unjust war invites catastrophic destruction and later remorse for those responsible.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya describes Bhimasena’s battlefield prowess: riding a single chariot, he will smash through vast formations of enemy chariots and infantry with his mace, crushing the enemy’s strength in the coming conflict.