Shloka 57
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
अभिदुद्राव भीष्मं स भुजप्रहरणो बली । प्रतोदपाणिस्तेजस्वी सिंहवद् विनदन् मुहुः
abhidudrāva bhīṣmaṁ sa bhujapraharaṇo balī | pratodapāṇis tejasvī siṁhavad vinadan muhuḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Yang perkasa dan bercahaya itu meluru terus ke arah Bhīṣma, dengan hanya lengannya sebagai senjata. Cemeti di tangan, dia mengaum seperti singa berulang-ulang, mara dengan kelajuan dahsyat—tidak lagi sanggup menanggung kebinasaan para wira. Setelah meninggalkan kuda-kuda Arjuna yang putih laksana perak dan melompat turun dari kereta perang besar, Vāsudeva (Mādhava), Penguasa Yoga, berlari menuju Bhīṣma, didorong tekad etika yang mendesak untuk menghentikan pembantaian dan menegakkan dharma, walau harus melanggar sumpahnya sendiri.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma is in immediate danger, mere formal adherence to a prior resolve may be outweighed by the higher duty to protect life and righteousness. Kṛṣṇa’s lion-like charge—apparently risking his own vow—highlights that ethical action is judged by its deeper purpose (lokasaṅgraha and protection of the just), not only by external consistency.
As Bhīṣma devastates the opposing warriors, Kṛṣṇa can no longer tolerate the slaughter. He leaps from Arjuna’s chariot, takes up the whip, and charges at Bhīṣma unarmed except for his own strength, roaring like a lion—an intense moment of divine intervention and moral urgency on the battlefield.