Shloka 48
Bhīmasena–Hanūmān Saṃvāda: The Tail Test and the Divine Path
तलप्रहारैरन्यांश्व॒ व्यहनत् पाण्डवो बली । ते वध्यमाना भीमेन सिंहव्याप्रतरक्षव:
talaprahārair anyāṁś ca vyahanat pāṇḍavo balī | te vadhyamānā bhīmena siṁhavyāghratarakṣavaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: The mighty Pāṇḍava struck down the others as well with blows of his palm. As Bhīma kept slaying them, those foes—fierce like lions, tigers, and bears—were cut down despite their ferocity, showing that brute strength and predatory rage cannot stand before disciplined valor in a righteous cause.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that mere ferocity and animal-like aggression are insufficient against steadfast strength and disciplined courage aligned with a just purpose; ethical force in narrative terms is portrayed as overcoming brute predation.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīma, the mighty Pāṇḍava, strikes down additional opponents with powerful palm-blows; the enemies, described as fierce like lions, tigers, and bears, are being killed by him in the course of the fight.