Shloka 3
सशूलमिव हर्यक्ष॑ वने मत्तमिव द्विपम् | जवेनाभ्यपतद् भीम: प्रगृह् महतीं गदाम्,वे प्रलयकालकी प्रज्वलित अग्नि, पाशधारी यमराज, शिखरयुक्त कैलास, वज्रधारी इन्द्र, त्रिशूलधारी रुद्र तथा जंगलके मतवाले हाथीके समान भयंकर जान पड़ते थे। भीमसेन बहुत बड़ी गदा हाथमें लेकर वेगपूर्वक उनके ऊपर टूट पड़े
saśūlam iva haryakṣa vane mattam iva dvipam | javena abhyapatad bhīmaḥ pragṛhya mahatīṃ gadām ||
Sañjaya said: “Like a bull bearing a sharp horn, like a rut-maddened elephant in the forest, Bhīma rushed forward with speed, gripping his massive mace—charging to strike down his foe in the righteous fury of battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of decisive courage in battle: when duty demands confrontation, the warrior advances without hesitation, yet the imagery also warns that such power resembles untamed forces (a horned bull, a maddened elephant) and therefore must be governed by dharma.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma seizing his huge mace and charging swiftly at his opponent, using vivid animal similes to convey Bhīma’s terrifying momentum and strength on the battlefield.