Shloka 23
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ६६: तुमुलसंग्रामवर्णनम्
The Tumult of Battle Described
प्रदारयन्तं सैन्यानि बलेनामितविक्रमम् । ग्रसमानमनीकानि व्यादितास्यमिवान्तकम्,अपने बलसे सेनाको विदीर्ण करनेवाले भीमसेन सम्पूर्ण सैनिकोंको अपना ग्रास बनानेके लिये मुँह बाये हुए कालके समान जान पड़ते थे। उस समय बड़ी भारी गदा उठाये हुए भयंकर पराक्रमी भीमसेनको देखकर भीष्मजी सहसा वहाँ पहुँचे
sañjaya uvāca | pradārayantaṃ sainyāni balenāmitavikramam | grasamānam anīkāni vyāditāsyam ivāntakam |
Sanjaya said: With irresistible might and immeasurable prowess, Bhima was tearing through the armies. He seemed like Death itself, mouth agape, as though to swallow entire battle-formations as his prey. Seeing that dreadful, mighty Bhima raising his massive mace, Bhishma swiftly arrived there to confront him.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying momentum of war and the inevitability of death within it: even great warriors can appear as instruments of 'Antaka' (the End). Ethically, it highlights the Kshatriya arena where duty and destruction coexist, and where senior protectors like Bhishma must respond to unchecked force to uphold their side’s order and responsibility.
Sanjaya describes Bhima rampaging through the Kaurava forces, ripping apart troops and swallowing up formations metaphorically like Death with an open mouth. Seeing Bhima’s fearsome advance and his raised mace, Bhishma quickly comes to that spot to engage and restrain him.