Shloka 42
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
तमुत्तीर्ण महाबाहुं गदाहस्तमरिंदमम् | मेनिरे सर्वभूतानि दण्डपाणिमिवान्तकम्
tam uttīrṇaṁ mahābāhuṁ gadāhastam ariṁdamam | menire sarvabhūtāni daṇḍapāṇim ivāntakam ||
サञ्जयは語った。その大腕の英雄が（水より）上がり、ガダーを手にして敵を砕くさまを見て、あらゆる生きものは、罰杖を執るヤマ――死の主――が現れたかのように思った。この光景は戦の道義的緊張をいっそう高める。ひとりの戦士の憤怒と決意が、世界に恐怖の影を落とし、暴力が宇宙的報いの畏るべき姿を帯びるのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of Yama with the staff of punishment to show how unchecked martial fury and the momentum of war can resemble impersonal cosmic retribution. It underscores the ethical gravity of violence: when a warrior becomes an instrument of destruction, he inspires dread like Death itself, reminding listeners that adharma-driven conflict culminates in inevitable ruin.
Sañjaya describes a formidable warrior emerging from the water holding a mace. His appearance is so terrifying and authoritative that all beings imagine him to be Yama (Antaka) himself, staff in hand—an intensification of the battlefield atmosphere just before further combat.