Shloka 78

Devanagari script

ततः प्रहस्य समरे भैमसेनिर्महाबल:

Transliteration

tataḥ prahasya samare bhaimasenir mahābalaḥ

Translation

サンジャヤは言った。ついで戦のただ中で高らかに笑い、剛力無双にして揺るがぬビーマセーナが、冷ややかな自信を帯びて進み出た。その佇まいは、決意と正しき憤怒が目覚めたところに、恐れの居場所はないと告げるかのようであった。

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रहस्यhaving laughed

समरेin battle

भैमसेनिःBhīmasena's son (Bhīmaseni = Ghaṭotkaca)

महाबलःmighty, of great strength

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīmasena (Bhaimaseni)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the inner stance of a warrior: fearlessness and resolve can manifest outwardly as laughter or scorn in the face of danger. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such composure signals steadfastness in one’s chosen duty (kṣatriya-dharma), though it also hints at the hardening of the heart that prolonged war can bring.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya narrates a moment on the battlefield where Bhīmasena, described as immensely strong, laughs in the thick of combat—an image that typically precedes a forceful attack or a decisive turn, emphasizing his confidence and aggressive momentum.