Shloka 20
त॑ भीम: सहसाभ्येत्य राक्षसान्तकर: प्रभो । सगणं राक्षसेन्द्रं तं शरवर्षरवाकिरत्,राजन! राक्षस्रोंका विनाश करनेवाले भीमने सहसा निकट जाकर सैनिकगणोंसहित राक्षसराज अलायुधको अपने बाणोंकी वर्षासे ढक दिया
taṁ bhīmaḥ sahasābhyetya rākṣasāntakaraḥ prabho | sagaṇaṁ rākṣasendraṁ taṁ śaravarṣair avākirat ||
Sañjaya said: O lord, Bhīma—destroyer of the rākṣasas—rushed forward at once and, closing in, overwhelmed that rākṣasa-king along with his followers, covering him with a torrential shower of arrows. In the harsh ethics of the battlefield, Bhīma’s swift, decisive assault is presented as a necessary act to neutralize a violent threat and protect his side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the epic’s war-ethic (kṣatriya-dharma), a dangerous aggressor must be checked swiftly and effectively. Bhīma’s rapid advance and overwhelming arrow-shower exemplify decisive action taken to protect one’s side and restore tactical balance, even when the means are violent.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma suddenly rushes up to the rākṣasa-king (identified in the Gītā Press note as Alāyudha) and, along with the king’s followers present, blankets them with a dense rain of arrows, initiating or intensifying a direct combat exchange.