Shloka 55
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
मेदोरुधिरदिग्धाड़ो वसामज्जासमुक्षित: । व्यचरत् समरे भीमो दण्डपाणिरिवान्तक:,भीमसेनका सारा शरीर मेदा तथा रक्तसे लिए हो रहा था। वे वसा और मज्जासे नहा गये थे और हाथमें गदा लिये दण्डपाणि यमराजके समान उस युद्धभूमिमें विचर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | medorudhiradigdhāṅgo vasāmajjāsamukṣitaḥ | vyacarat samare bhīmo daṇḍapāṇir ivāntakaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Berlumur lemak dan darah, seakan mandi dalam sumsum dan minyak, Bhīma bergerak di medan laga—gada di tangan—bagai Antaka, sang pembawa maut, pemegang tongkat hukuman.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of warfare: when battle turns into mass killing, the warrior’s role can resemble punitive cosmic justice (daṇḍa). It evokes the idea that adharma invites terrifying retribution, and that violence, even when duty-bound, carries a grim moral atmosphere.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma is roaming the battlefield in a fearsome state—his body smeared with blood and fat, soaked in grease and marrow—brandishing his weapon and appearing like Yama (Antaka), the personification of death and punishment.