Shloka 14
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ६६: तुमुलसंग्रामवर्णनम्
The Tumult of Battle Described
बलानि सम्ममर्दाशु नड्वलानीव कुञज्जर: । पाण्डुनन्दन भीम अपने महान् वेगसे रथसमूहोंको खींचकर नष्ट कर देते और शीघ्र ही सारी सेनाको उसी प्रकार रौंद डालते थे, जैसे हाथी नरकुलके पौधोंको ।।
sañjaya uvāca | balāni sammamardāśu naḍvalānīva kuñjaraḥ | pāṇḍunandano bhīmaḥ svamahān vegena rathasamūhān ākarṣya nāśayām āsa, śīghraṃ ca sarvāṃ senām evaṃ mardayām āsa, yathā kuñjaraḥ narakulaprasthān | mṛdnan rathebhyo rathino gajebhyo gajayodhinaḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Como un elefante que aplasta con presteza matorrales de cañas, Bhīma —hijo de Pāṇḍu—, con su tremenda velocidad, arrastró y destruyó masas de carros. En un instante pisoteó a todo el ejército, como un elefante que tritura cañaverales. Aplastó a los guerreros de carro desde sus carros, y a los combatientes de elefante desde sus elefantes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily narrative rather than didactic: it highlights the overwhelming force of a warrior in battle and the terrifying, impersonal momentum of war. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—kṣatriya-duty compels combat, yet the imagery (crushing living beings like reeds) reminds the listener of war’s dehumanizing destructiveness.
Sañjaya reports Bhīma’s onslaught: Bhīma rushes with immense speed, drags and smashes groups of chariots, and tramples the enemy host. The simile compares his action to an elephant crushing reed-beds; an added line states he also crushes chariot-fighters off their chariots and elephant-fighters off their elephants.