Shloka 82
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
हत्वैनं पुनरायाति नागानन्यान् प्रहारिण:,“इस निषादपुत्रका वध करके वे पुनः प्रहार करनेवाले दूसरे-दूसरे हाथियोंपर आक्रमण कर रहे हैं। देखो, भीमसेन शक्ति और तोमरोंके समूहोंसे काले मेघोंकी घटाके समान हाथियोंको, जिनके कंधोंपर महावत बैठे हैं, मार रहे हैं
hatvainaṃ punar āyāti nāgān anyān prahāriṇaḥ |
Dijo Sañjaya: «Tras darle muerte, vuelven de nuevo para golpear. Después de matar a este hijo de un Niṣāda, acometen una y otra vez contra otros elefantes. Mirad a Bhīmasena—como una masa de nubes negras de lluvia—derribando a los elefantes, incluso a los que llevan a sus mahouts sentados sobre los hombros, con descargas de lanzas y jabalinas tomara.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the grim ethic of battlefield duty: relentless action and repeated assault are praised as martial effectiveness, yet the mention of a Niṣāda’s son hints at the moral strain of war—where social boundaries and the value of life are tested amid the demands of kṣatriya combat.
Sañjaya reports that after killing a Niṣāda’s son, the fighters return to attack more elephants. Bhīma is depicted as overwhelmingly powerful, striking down successive war-elephants—along with their mounted mahouts—using spears and tomara-javelins, compared to a dense bank of dark clouds.