Shloka 196
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
योधयामास कालिऊ्ू स्वबाहुबलमाश्रित: । तब महाबाहु भीमने अपने बाहुबलका आश्रय लेकर सुन्दर धनुषकी टंकार फैलाते हुए कलिंगराजसे युद्ध आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca | yodhayāmāsa kaliṅgaṃ svabāhubalam āśritaḥ | tadā mahābāhuḥ bhīmaḥ svabāhubalasya āśrayaṃ kṛtvā sundara-dhanuṣaḥ ṭaṅkāraṃ vistārayann iva kaliṅgarājena saha yuddham ārabdhavān |
Sañjaya dijo: Confiando en la fuerza de sus propios brazos, Bhīma, de poderosos miembros, trabó combate con el rey de Kalinga. Luego, amparado en su propia destreza y haciendo resonar el vibrante tañido de su espléndido arco, Bhīma dio comienzo a la lucha: imagen del valor personal en medio de la violencia obligada por el deber en Kurukṣetra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣātra-vīrya (warrior valor) and self-reliance in action: Bhima enters combat depending on his own strength. In the epic’s ethical frame, such prowess is not mere aggression but is situated within the battlefield duty (dharma) of a kṣatriya during the Kurukshetra war.
Sanjaya describes Bhima initiating combat with the Kalinga king. Bhima, famed for physical power, signals the start of the engagement with the loud twang of his bow and then fights, marking an intensification of the battle scenes in Bhishma Parva.