Shloka 63
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
राजन! रणभूमिमें उस गदाकी चोट खाकर भीमसेनके मस्तकसे रक्तकी धारा बह चली और वे मदकी धारा बहानेवाले गजराजके समान अधिक शोभा पाने लगे ।। ततो गदां वीरहणीमयोमयीं प्रगृह् वज्ाशनितुल्यनि:स्वनाम् । अताडयच्छत्रुममित्रकर्षणो बलेन विक्रम्य धनंजयाग्रज:,तदनन्तर अर्जुनके बड़े भाई शत्रुसूदन भीमसेनने बलपूर्वक पराक्रम प्रकट करके वज्र और अशनिके तुल्य महान् शब्द करनेवाली वीरविनाशिनी लोहमयी गदा हाथमें लेकर उसके द्वारा अपने शत्रुपर प्रहार किया
sañjaya uvāca |
rājan raṇabhūmau tasya gadā-prahāreṇa bhīmasenasya mastakāt raktadhārā prasasāra, sa ca mada-dhārā-prasravaṇa-gajarāja iva bhūyo 'pi śobhām avāpa ||
tato gadāṃ vīrahaṇīm ayomayīṃ pragṛhya vajrāśani-tulya-niḥsvanām |
atāḍayac chatrum amitra-karṣaṇo balena vikramya dhanañjayāgrajaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: O King, though struck on the battlefield by that mace, a stream of blood flowed from Bhima’s head; yet he appeared all the more splendid—like a great elephant in rut, pouring forth its must. Then Dhananjaya’s elder brother, Bhima the slayer of foes, displaying forceful valor, seized an iron mace that destroys heroes and roared like a thunderbolt and lightning, and with it he struck his enemy. The passage underscores a warrior’s steadfastness under injury and the grim, duty-bound intensity of battle where endurance and resolve are tested amid violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and resolve under suffering: even wounded, Bhima’s presence and determination intensify. Ethically, it reflects the harsh reality of kshatriya-duty in war—courage and endurance are praised, while the narrative also implicitly reminds us of the heavy cost of violence.
On the battlefield Bhima is struck by a mace and bleeds from the head, yet appears even more formidable. Immediately afterward he seizes a heavy iron mace, described as thunderbolt-like in sound and hero-destroying in power, and strikes his enemy with renewed force.