Shloka 50
मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana
चीराणीव व्युदस्तानि रेजुस्तत्र महावने । तद् वृक्षयुद्धम भवन्मुहूर्त भरतर्षभ । राक्षसानां च मुख्यस्य नराणामुत्तमस्य च,वहाँ उस महान् वनमें बहुत-से वृक्ष मूँजकी भाँति जर्जर हो गये थे। वे फटे चीथड़ोंकी तरह इधर-उधर फैले हुए सुशोभित होते थे। भरतश्रेष्ठ! राक्षसराज किर्मीर और मनुष्योंमें श्रेष्ठ भीमसेनका वह वृक्षयुद्ध दो घड़ीतक चलता रहा
cīrāṇīva vyudastāni rejus tatra mahāvane | tad vṛkṣayuddham abhavan muhūrta bharatarṣabha | rākṣasānāṃ ca mukhyasya narāṇām uttamasya ca ||
In that vast forest, many trees lay strewn about, shining there like torn rags flung aside. O bull among the Bharatas, the combat with trees between the foremost of the Rākṣasas and the best of men continued for a while—between the Rākṣasa chief Kirmīra and Bhīmasena.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and protective duty amid chaos: when confronted by violent forces in a lawless setting, the righteous must act decisively to remove threats and safeguard their companions, even if the means are improvised (trees used as weapons).
In a great forest, trees are scattered like torn rags due to a fierce struggle. The passage describes a prolonged ‘tree-fight’ between the Rākṣasa chief Kirmīra and the human champion Bhīmasena, addressed to Yudhiṣṭhira as ‘Bharatarṣabha’.