Shloka 613
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
अताडयच्छड्खदेशे न चचालाचलोपम: । पास पहुँचकर उस भयंकर पराक्रमी महामनस्वी वीरने महामना भीमसेनके ललाटपर गदासे आघात किया, परंतु भीमसेन पर्वतके समान अविचलभावसे खड़े रह गये, तनिक भी विचलित नहीं हुए
atāḍayac chaṅkhadeśe na cacālācalopamaḥ |
Sañjaya said: He struck him on the region of the forehead, yet Bhīmasena—mountain-like—did not waver. The blow, meant to shake a hero’s resolve, instead reveals Bhīma’s steadfast endurance amid the brutal ethics of single combat, where victory is sought through force but true greatness is shown in unshaken courage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Steadfastness under assault is portrayed as a mark of true valor: even when violence is unavoidable in war, inner firmness and refusal to be shaken become the ethical measure of a warrior’s greatness.
In the mace-duel context of Śalya Parva, Bhīma is struck on the head/forehead region with a powerful blow, but he remains unmoved, standing firm like a mountain despite the impact.