Shloka 36
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
भीमसेनस्तु संक़्रुद्ध: पादरक्षान् पर:शतान् | निजघान महेष्वास: संरब्ध: शरवृष्टिभि:,तब महाधनुर्धर भीमसेनने अत्यन्त कुपित हो अपने बाणोंकी बौछारसे हाथीके पैरोंकी रक्षा करनेवाले सैकड़ों योद्धाओंको मार गिराया
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmasenas tu saṅkruddhaḥ pādarākṣān paraśatān | nijaghāna maheṣvāsaḥ saṃrabdhaḥ śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Bhīmasena, sang pemanah perkasa, menyala oleh amarah; dengan hujan anak panahnya ia merobohkan ratusan penjaga kaki gajah di medan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) amplifies destructive power in war: even those serving a protective role (elephant-foot guards) become targets when battlefield objectives demand it. It points to the moral strain within kṣatriya-duty—acting decisively in combat while recognizing the human cost and the peril of wrath-driven action.
Sañjaya narrates that Bhīma, furious in the thick of fighting, unleashes a concentrated barrage of arrows and cuts down hundreds of enemy soldiers stationed to protect the feet of a war-elephant—an image of tactical ferocity and overwhelming force on the Kurukṣetra field.