Shloka 32
भरतनन्दन! भीमसेनको गदा हाथमें लिये देख आपके सैनिक कालदण्ड लेकर आया हुआ यमराज मानने लगे ।। स मत्त इव मातजड्ज: संक्रुद्ध: पाण्डुनन्दन: । प्रविवेश गजानीकं॑ मकर: सागरं यथा,मतवाले हाथीके समान अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरे हुए पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनने शत्रुओंकी गजसेनामें प्रवेश किया, मानो मगर समुद्रमें जा घुसा हो
bharatanandana! bhīmasenaṃ gadā-hastaṃ dṛṣṭvā tava sainikāḥ kāla-daṇḍaṃ gṛhītvāgatam iva yamarājaṃ mene || sa matta iva mātaṅgaḥ saṃkruddhaḥ pāṇḍu-nandanaḥ | praviveśa gajā-nīkaṃ makaraḥ sāgaraṃ yathā ||
Wahai keturunan Bharata, melihat Bhīmasena dengan gada di tangan, pasukanmu menganggapnya Yama sendiri yang datang membawa tongkat maut. Laksana gajah yang mabuk musth, putra Pāṇḍu itu—diliputi amarah—menerobos ke dalam korps gajah musuh, bagaikan makara menyelam ke samudra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battlefield power in ethical terms: when violence is tied to judgment and consequence, it is imagined as Yama’s rod—an emblem that deeds ripen into unavoidable results. It also shows how inner states (wrath, resolve) shape collective perception (fear, collapse of morale).
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, mace in hand, advances so terrifyingly that the Kaurava soldiers think Death himself has arrived. In a vivid simile, Bhīma—like a rut-maddened elephant—charges into the enemy elephant division, like a makara plunging into the sea.