Shloka 65
महावात इवाशभ्राणि विधमित्वा स वारणान् | अतिष्ठत् तुमुले भीम: श्मशान इव शूलभृत्,जैसे आँधी बादलोंको छिन्न-भिन्न करके उड़ा देती है, उसी प्रकार भीमसेन उस भयंकर युद्धमें हाथियोंकी सेनाको नष्ट करके श्मशानभूमिमें त्रिशूलधारी भगवान् शंकरके समान खड़े थे
sañjaya uvāca |
mahāvāta ivāśabhrāṇi vidhamitvā sa vāraṇān |
atiṣṭhat tumule bhīmaḥ śmaśāna iva śūlabhṛt |
Sañjaya said: Like a mighty gale that shreds and scatters the clouds, Bhīma—having crushed the ranks of elephants—stood firm amid that dreadful tumult of battle, resembling Śiva, the trident-bearer, standing in a cremation ground. The image underscores the terrifying, world-upturning power unleashed in war, where valor can appear godlike even as it moves through scenes of death.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial prowess in a dharma-war can appear awe-inspiring and almost divine, yet it unfolds amid death and devastation. By comparing Bhīma to Śiva in a cremation ground, it reminds the listener that battlefield glory is inseparable from mortality and the grave consequences of violence.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma in the thick of battle: he has smashed through the elephant contingent of the opposing army. After scattering them like clouds driven apart by a storm, Bhīma stands unshaken in the tumult, evoking the terrifying steadiness of trident-bearing Śiva in a charnel ground.