Shloka 1
भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च
Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka
(दाक्षिणात्य अधिक पाठके ४ श्लोक मिलाकर कुल ४६ श्लोक हैं) अपन बछ। है २ >> पञ्चपज्चाशत्तमो< ध्याय: अश्वत्थामाका घोर युद्ध
sañjaya uvāca |
bhīmasenaṃ sapāñcālyaṃ cedikekayasaṃvṛtam |
vaikartanaḥ svayaṃ ruddhvā vārayāmāsa sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, Karṇa (Vaikartana), barrant lui-même le passage, arrêta Bhīmasena—accompagné des Pāñcālas et entouré des Cedis et des Ekakayas—en le retenant sous des volées de flèches. La scène rappelle que, dans la fureur de la guerre, même les plus puissants sont contenus non par le conseil, mais par la force, et que les champions adverses s’interceptent sciemment afin de façonner l’issue morale et stratégique du combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethic of kṣatriya warfare: champions deliberately intercept key opponents to protect their side and control the battle’s flow. It also reflects the tragic tension between duty (fighting as required by one’s role) and the escalating violence that eclipses conciliatory dharma.
Sañjaya reports that Karṇa personally blocks Bhīma, who advances with allied troops (Pāñcālas, Cedis, Ekakayas). Karṇa restrains him by showering arrows, initiating or intensifying a direct confrontation amid the larger battlefield movements.