Shloka 57
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
अभिदुद्राव भीष्मं स भुजप्रहरणो बली । प्रतोदपाणिस्तेजस्वी सिंहवद् विनदन् मुहुः
abhidudrāva bhīṣmaṁ sa bhujapraharaṇo balī | pratodapāṇis tejasvī siṁhavad vinadan muhuḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Le puissant et resplendissant se rua droit sur Bhīṣma, n’ayant pour armes que ses propres bras. Le fouet à la main, rugissant sans cesse tel un lion, il chargea à une vitesse prodigieuse—ne pouvant plus endurer la ruine des héros. Laissant derrière lui les chevaux d’Arjuna, blancs comme l’argent, et sautant du grand char, Vāsudeva (Mādhava), Seigneur du Yoga, courut vers Bhīṣma, poussé par une résolution morale pressante : arrêter le carnage et sauvegarder le dharma, fût-ce au prix de rompre son propre vœu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is in immediate danger, mere formal adherence to a prior resolve may be outweighed by the higher duty to protect life and righteousness. Kṛṣṇa’s lion-like charge—apparently risking his own vow—highlights that ethical action is judged by its deeper purpose (lokasaṅgraha and protection of the just), not only by external consistency.
As Bhīṣma devastates the opposing warriors, Kṛṣṇa can no longer tolerate the slaughter. He leaps from Arjuna’s chariot, takes up the whip, and charges at Bhīṣma unarmed except for his own strength, roaring like a lion—an intense moment of divine intervention and moral urgency on the battlefield.