Shloka 117
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
स हत्वा सर्वकालिज्ान् सेनामध्ये व्यतिष्ठत । नैनमभ्युत्सहन् केचित् तावका भरतर्षभ
sa hatvā sarva-kāliṅgān senā-madhye vyatiṣṭhata | nainam abhyutsahan kecit tāvakā bharatarṣabha ||
サンジャヤは言った。「カリンガの戦士たちをことごとく討ち果たしたのち、ビーマセーナは軍勢のまさに中央に揺るぎなく立っていた。だが汝の兵のうち—おお、バーラタ族の雄牛よ—誰ひとりとして彼に向かって進み出る勇気を持てなかった。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming martial excellence can paralyze opponents with fear, creating a moral tension between kṣatriya duty (to face the enemy) and the instinct for self-preservation. It also illustrates the epic’s recurring theme that adharma-driven war breeds escalating violence and psychological collapse.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma has annihilated the Kaliṅga contingent and now stands unshaken in the center of the battlefield formation. The Kaurava soldiers, intimidated by his ferocity and strength, cannot bring themselves to confront him.