Shloka 16

इन्द्रस्य पाण्डवैः समागमः

Indra’s Meeting with the Pāṇḍavas

Devanagari script

भीममार्तस्वरं चक्रुर्भीमसेनभयार्दिता: । न्यस्तशस्त्रायुधा: क्लान्ता: शोणिताक्ततनुच्छदा:,वे महान्‌ वेगशाली तो थे ही, तीव्र गतिसे धनाध्यक्षके महलमें पहुँचकर भयंकर आर्तनाद करने लगे। भीमसेनका भय उस समय भी उन्हें पीड़ा दे रहा था। वे अपने अस्त्र- शस्त्र छोड़ चुके थे एवं थके हुए थे। उनके कवच खूनसे लथपथ हो गये थे

Transliteration

bhīmamārtasvaraṃ cakrur bhīmasenabhayārditāḥ | nyastaśastrāyudhāḥ klāntāḥ śoṇitāktatanucchadāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Stricken by fear of Bhīmasena, they raised a dreadful cry of distress. Exhausted and having cast aside their weapons, their bodies and armor were smeared with blood.

Word by Word

• {'bhīma': 'terrible, fearsome

• also an epithet of Bhīma', 'mārta-svara': 'cry of anguish, lamentation', 'cakruḥ': 'they made, they uttered (perfect/preterite of √kṛ)', 'bhīmasena': 'Bhīmasena (Bhīma), the Pāṇḍava hero', 'bhaya-arditāḥ': 'afflicted/tormented by fear', 'nyasta': 'laid down, cast aside', 'śastra': 'weapon (especially hand-held arms)', 'āyudha': 'weapon, implement of war', 'klāntāḥ': 'weary, exhausted', 'śoṇita': 'blood', 'akta': 'smeared, anointed, bespattered', 'tanu-cchada': 'body-covering

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• weapons (śastra/āyudha)
• armor/body-covering (tanucchada)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the psychological and ethical aftermath of violence: fear, exhaustion, and bloodshed mark those who engage in conflict, suggesting that adharma-driven aggression culminates in panic and degradation when confronted by superior force.

What is happening in the narrative?

A group of fighters, terrified of Bhīmasena, cry out in distress. They are worn out, have dropped their weapons, and their armor and bodies are smeared with blood, indicating a rout or desperate retreat after a violent encounter.