Shloka 4
अलायुधस्य भीमवधसंकल्पः
Alāyudha’s Resolve to Confront Bhīma
प्रमृज्य वदनं शुभ्र॑ पुण्डरीकसमप्रभम्
pramṛjya vadanaṃ śubhraṃ puṇḍarīkasamaprabham
Sañjaya said: Having wiped his face—bright and radiant like a white lotus—he composed himself, a gesture suggesting the effort to regain dignity and steadiness amid the strain and sorrow of the war’s unfolding events.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights inner discipline under pressure: even amid violence and distress, one strives to regain self-control and outward dignity—an ethical ideal in epic narrative where emotions must be mastered rather than allowed to rule.
Sañjaya describes a person (implied from context) wiping his face and appearing bright like a white lotus, indicating a moment of recovery—perhaps after tears, sweat, or dust—before continuing speech or action in the war narrative.