Shloka 38
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
सासिर्वेगवदाप्लुत्य दन्ताभ्यां वारणोत्तमम् | आरुरोह ततो मध्यं नागराजस्य मारिष
sa-āsir vegavad āplutya dantābhyāṁ vāraṇottamam | āruroha tato madhyaṁ nāgarājasya māriṣa ||
हाथ में तलवार लिये भीमसेन वेगपूर्वक उछल पड़े और श्रेष्ठ हाथी के दाँतों का सहारा लेकर, हे आर्य, उस नागराज के मस्तक-मध्य, अर्थात् शिरोभाग पर चढ़ गये।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of fearless resolve and extraordinary effort in battle; it also shows how visible courage can reshape perception—warriors begin to see a human hero as ‘divine’ due to unmatched prowess.
Bhīma, roaring and holding a sword, leaps up and uses the elephant’s tusks as footholds to climb onto the head of the great war-elephant, astonishing the surrounding soldiers.