Shloka 54
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
तदनन्तर चर्ममय आवरणोंसे युक्त पाँच सौ रथ घर्घराहटकी आवाज फैलाते हुए चारों ओरसे भीमसेनपर चढ़ आये और बाणसमूहोंद्वारा उन्हें घायल करने लगे ।। तान् स पञ्चशतान् वीरान् सपताकध्वजायुधान् । पोथयामास गदया भीमो विष्णुरिवासुरान्,जैसे भगवान् विष्णु असुरोंका संहार करते हैं, उसी प्रकार भीमसेनने पताका, ध्वज और आयुधोंसहित उन पाँच सौ रथी वीरोंको गदाके आघातसे चूर-चूर कर डाला
sañjaya uvāca |
tad-anantaraṁ carma-maya-āvaraṇaiḥ yuktaḥ pañca-śataṁ rathāḥ ghargharāhaṭa-śabdaṁ vistārayan sarvataḥ bhīmasenam abhyadravan bāṇa-samūhaiś ca taṁ vyathayan |
tān sa pañca-śatān vīrān sa-patāka-dhvajāyudhān |
poṭhayāmāsa gadayā bhīmo viṣṇur ivāsurān ||
Sañjaya berkata: Sesudah itu, lima ratus kereta perang yang dipasang pelindung daripada kulit dan perisai menyerbu dari segenap arah dengan deruman menggegarkan, lalu melukai Bhīmasena dengan hujan anak panah. Namun Bhīma menghancurkan lima ratus pahlawan kereta itu—beserta panji, bendera, dan senjata mereka—dengan hentakan gada, sebagaimana Dewa Viṣṇu membinasakan para Asura.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness under assault: even when surrounded and wounded, a warrior must hold firm to duty and protect his side. The comparison to Viṣṇu’s destruction of Asuras frames Bhīma’s force as a righteous, order-restoring power within the epic’s moral universe, while also reminding the reader of the terrible cost and intensity of dharma-yuddha.
A coordinated Kaurava force—five hundred chariots with protective coverings—charges Bhīma from all directions and showers him with arrows. Bhīma counters at close quarters, using his mace to crush the chariots and their warriors, breaking their banners and weapons, and annihilating the entire contingent.