Shloka 13

भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः

Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead

Devanagari script

राक्षसं क्रूरकर्माणं भैमसेनिं महाबलम्‌

Transliteration

rākṣasaṁ krūrakarmāṇaṁ bhaimaseniṁ mahābalam

Translation

ഭൈമസേനി—ഭീമസേനന്റെ പുത്രൻ—മഹാബലവാൻ, രാക്ഷസസദൃശമായ ഉഗ്രതയോടെ ക്രൂരകർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ പ്രാവീണ്യമുള്ളവനായി (അവിടെ) ദൃശ്യമായി.

Word by Word

• राक्षसम्: a demon, rākṣasa
• राक्षसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राक्षस
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• क्रूरकर्माणम्: of cruel deeds
• क्रूरकर्माणम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रूरकर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• भैमसेनिम्: Bhīmasena's (son/descendant); Bhīmaseni
• भैमसेनिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: भैमसेनि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाबलम्: very strong, of great strength
• महाबलम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: महाबल
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena
• Bhaimaseni (son/descendant of Bhīma)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in war, a warrior may be portrayed through morally charged imagery—“rākṣasa-like” and “fierce in deeds”—underscoring the ethical tension between necessary martial force (kṣatriya-duty) and the frightening, dehumanizing aspect of violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya, narrating the battlefield to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, characterizes a powerful fighter identified as Bhīmasena’s son/descendant as exceptionally strong and terrifying in combat, emphasizing the intensity and ferocity of the ongoing battle.