Shloka 37
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
तान् दृष्टवा निहतान् क्रुद्धो भगदत्त: प्रतापवान् | चोदयामास नागेन््द्रं भीमसेनरथं प्रति,उन सबको मारा गया देख प्रतापी भगदत्तने कुपित हो उस गजराजको भीमसेनके रथकी ओर बढ़ाया
tān dṛṣṭvā nihatān kruddho bhagadattaḥ pratāpavān | codayāmāsa nāgendraṃ bhīmasenarathaṃ prati ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing them slain, the mighty and valorous Bhagadatta, inflamed with anger, urged his lordly elephant forward toward Bhīmasena’s chariot—his wrath turning grief and shock into a renewed, targeted assault amid the moral chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, grief and shock at the fall of one’s side can quickly harden into anger and retaliation; it implicitly raises the ethical tension between disciplined duty and passion-driven violence.
After seeing his men slain, Bhagadatta becomes enraged and drives his great elephant directly toward Bhīmasena’s chariot, initiating a focused counterattack against Bhīma.