Shloka 45
Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ
Mace-duel’s intense exchange
त॑ महात्मा महात्मानं गदामुद्यम्य पाण्डव: | अभिदुद्राव वेगेन धार्तराष्ट्र वृकोदर:
taṁ mahātmā mahātmānaṁ gadām udyamya pāṇḍavaḥ | abhidudrāva vegena dhārtarāṣṭra vṛkodaraḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the great-souled Pāṇḍava, Vṛkodara (Bhīma), lifting up his mace, rushed with full speed toward that great-souled Dhārtarāṣṭra. The verse highlights the climactic, duty-bound ferocity of single combat, where personal valor and the ethics of warrior conduct converge in the decisive moment of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma in its starkest form: once the decisive duel is joined, the warrior must act with unwavering resolve. It also frames violence as situated within a code—single combat with declared weapons—inviting reflection on how duty, restraint, and consequence coexist in war.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma (Vṛkodara) raising his mace and charging swiftly toward the Dhārtarāṣṭra warrior—Duryodhana—signaling the intensification of their mace-fight in the Shalya Parva.