Shloka 53

अर्जुनागमनम्

Arjuna’s Arrival and Reunion on the Sacred Mountain

Devanagari script

भीमबाहुबलो त्सूष्टैरायुधैर्यक्षरक्षसाम्‌ । विनिकृत्तानि दृश्यन्ते शरीराणि शिरांसि च

Transliteration

bhīmabāhubalo tsūṣṭair āyudhair yakṣarakṣasām | vinikṛttāni dṛśyante śarīrāṇi śirāṃsi ca ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: With the sheer strength of his arms, Bhīma—wielding well-honed weapons—left the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas visibly cut down: their bodies and even their severed heads lay in sight. The scene underscores how unrestrained violence, even when directed against hostile beings, carries a grim moral weight and reveals the fearful cost of force when dharma is defended through battle.

Word by Word

भीमबाहुबलःone whose arm-strength is formidable (Bhima)

सुत्सूष्टैःwith well-sharpened

आयुधैःweapons

यक्षरक्षसाम्of the Yakshas and Rakshasas

विनिकृत्तानिcut off, severed

दृश्यन्तेare seen

शरीराणिbodies

शिरांसिheads

चand

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīma

Yakṣas

Rākṣasas

weapons (āyudhāni)

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the terrifying effectiveness of strength and weapons, implicitly reminding that even when violence is used in defense or necessity, its consequences are stark and morally sobering; power must remain aligned with dharma and restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Bhīma, using sharpened weapons and his immense arm-strength, has struck down Yakṣas and Rākṣasas so that severed bodies and heads are seen on the battlefield/scene.