Shloka 74

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

समाहतो महाराज कालिड्लेन महात्मना । संचुक्रुशे भृशं भीमो दण्डाहत इवोरग:,महाराज! महामना कलिंगराजके द्वारा श्रेष्ठ धनुषसे छोड़े हुए नौ तीखे बाणोंसे घायल हो भीमसेन डंडेकी चोट खाये हुए सर्पकी भाँति अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे

Transliteration

samāhato mahārāja kāliṅgena mahātmanā | sañcukruśe bhṛśaṃ bhīmo daṇḍāhata ivoragaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, dipukul oleh penguasa Kaliṅga yang berhati luhur, Bhīma menjerit dengan garang—seperti ular yang disebat dengan tongkat.

Word by Word

समाहतःstruck, smitten

महाराजO great king

कालिङ्गेनby the Kalinga (king/warrior)

महात्मनाby the great-souled one

संचुक्रुशेcried out, roared

भृशम्violently, exceedingly

भीमःBhima

दण्डाहतःstruck by a staff

इवlike, as if

उरगःa serpent

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by 'mahārāja')

Bhīma (Bhīmasena)

Kaliṅga-rāja / Kaliṅga warrior

daṇḍa (staff/rod)

uraga (serpent)

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 a moral-psychological truth within the war narrative: injury and humiliation can inflame anger, and unchecked wrath becomes perilous—like a provoked serpent—suggesting the ethical need for restraint even in a kṣatriya context.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma has been struck by the Kaliṅga ruler/warrior; Bhīma cries out fiercely, compared to a serpent hit with a staff, indicating both pain and rising fury on the battlefield.