Shloka 14
प्रावृट्-शरत्-वर्णनम् — Description of the Monsoon and Autumn; Sarasvatī in the Pāṇḍavas’ Exile
स मातज्गशतप्राणो मनुष्पशतवारण: सिंहशार्दूलविक्रान्तो वने तस्मिन् महाबल:
sa mātaṅgaśatapāṇo manuṣyaśatavāraṇaḥ siṁhaśārdūlavikrānto vane tasmin mahābalaḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: In that forest stood the mighty one, endowed with the life-force of a hundred rutting elephants, capable of checking the rush of a hundred men at once, and advancing with the prowess of a lion and a tiger. The verse underscores Bhīma’s overwhelming strength as a protective power—an energy that, when aligned with dharma, becomes a shield for the vulnerable and a deterrent to wrongdoing in the wilderness of exile.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that immense power is ethically significant when it serves dharma—strength becomes meaningful as restraint against harm and as protection amid adversity, rather than as mere domination.
Vaiśampāyana describes a mighty figure in the forest whose vigor is compared to many elephants and whose valor matches a lion and tiger, emphasizing an atmosphere of formidable presence during the forest episode.