Shloka 44
भीष्मस्य जलप्रार्थना — अर्जुनस्य पर्जन्यास्त्रप्रयोगः — दुर्योधनं प्रति सन्ध्युपदेशः
Bhīṣma’s request for water; Arjuna’s Parjanya-astra; counsel to Duryodhana on reconciliation
भीमसेनो रणश्लाघी त्रिधैकैकं समाच्छिनत् । तांश्व सर्वान् महेष्वासांस्त्रिभिस्त्रिेभिरताडयत्
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmaseno raṇaślāghī tridhaikaikaṃ samācchinat | tāṃś ca sarvān maheṣvāsāṃs tribhis tribhir atāḍayat |
Sañjaya berkata: Bhīmasena, yang bermegah dengan keperwiraannya di medan perang, membelah setiap anak panah itu menjadi tiga bahagian. Kemudian, dengan hentaman tiga serangkai berulang-ulang, dia memukul para pemanah perkasa itu hingga rebah—gambaran kekuatan yang melimpah dilepaskan di tengah kekacauan moral perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of martial prowess and relentless effort in battle, while implicitly reminding the reader that war magnifies human impulses—pride, force, and the drive to dominate—raising ethical tension even when action is framed as duty.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma in the thick of combat: he cuts down opponents (described as mighty archers), splitting each into three, and then continues striking them repeatedly with threefold blows, emphasizing his ferocity and battlefield superiority.