Shloka 116
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
गदया भारत: क्रुद्धो वज्ेणेन्द्र इवासुरान् | जैसे कुपित हुए इन्द्रने वज़्से असुरोंका वध किया था, उसी प्रकार क्रोधमें भरे भरतवंशी भीमने अपनी उस गदासे अधिरथपुत्र कर्णके उन उत्तम घोड़ोंको मार डाला, जो अच्छी तरह सवारीका काम देते थे
sañjaya uvāca | gadayā bhārataḥ kruddho vajreṇendra ivāsurān |
Sanjaya said: Enraged, Bhima—the scion of Bharata’s line—wielded his mace like Indra hurling the thunderbolt against the Asuras; in that fury he struck down Karna’s excellent horses, well-suited for bearing a rider. The verse underscores how wrath in war drives warriors to decisive, often ruthless, tactical acts—here, disabling the opponent’s mobility rather than engaging only the person.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies destructive capacity in war and can shift action toward ruthless expediency—here, crippling an enemy’s effectiveness by killing the horses. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between battlefield necessity and the moral cost of wrath-driven violence.
Sanjaya describes Bhima, furious in combat, striking with his mace in a manner compared to Indra’s thunderbolt against the Asuras. In that onslaught, Bhima kills Karna’s fine horses, thereby impairing Karna’s chariot mobility and combat advantage.