Shloka 53

Devanagari script

रथा: पञ्चशताश्षान्ये ह्रादिनश्चर्मवर्मिण: । भीममभ्यद्रवन्‌ घ्नन्त: शरपूगै: समन्तत:

Transliteration

rathāḥ pañcaśatāś cānye hrādinaś carmavarmiṇaḥ | bhīmam abhyadravan ghnantaḥ śarapūgaiḥ samantataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Five hundred other chariots—resounding and protected by leather-armour—rushed straight at Bhīma, striking him from every side with dense volleys of arrows. The scene underscores the war’s ruthless logic: many unite to overwhelm a single formidable warrior, testing endurance and resolve amid relentless violence.

Word by Word

रथाःchariots

पञ्चशताःfive hundred (in number)

अन्येother

ह्रादिनःresounding/roaring

चर्मवर्मिणःwearing leather armor

भीमम्Bhima

अभ्यद्रवन्ran towards/charged at

घ्नन्तःstriking/killing (while doing so)

शरपूगैःwith volleys/masses of arrows

समन्ततःon all sides

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīma

chariots (rathāḥ)

arrows (śarāḥ)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethical terrain of battlefield dharma: collective force is marshalled to check a single powerful warrior, showing how courage and steadfastness are tested amid overwhelming opposition, and how war often prioritizes victory over fairness.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that a large contingent—five hundred chariot-warriors—charges Bhīma and assails him from all directions with concentrated arrow volleys, attempting to surround and suppress him.