Shloka 42
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
तमुत्तीर्ण महाबाहुं गदाहस्तमरिंदमम् | मेनिरे सर्वभूतानि दण्डपाणिमिवान्तकम्,वह गदाधारी भरतवंशी वीर तपते हुए सूर्यके समान प्रकाशित हो रहा था। शत्रुओंका दमन करनेवाले महाबाहु दुर्योधनको हाथमें गदा लिये जलसे निकला हुआ देख समस्त प्राणी ऐसा मानने लगे, मानो दण्डधारी यमराज प्रकट हो गये हों
tam uttīrṇaṁ mahābāhuṁ gadāhastam ariṁdamam | menire sarvabhūtāni daṇḍapāṇim ivāntakam ||
Sañjaya berkata: Ketika wira berlengan perkasa itu muncul (dari air), gada di tangan, penghancur musuh, segala makhluk menyangkanya seperti Yama, Penguasa Maut, yang tampil dengan tongkatnya. Adegan ini meninggikan ketegangan moral perang: amarah dan tekad seorang pahlawan sahaja mampu melabuhkan bayang-bayang gerun ke atas dunia, apabila keganasan mengambil rupa pembalasan kosmik yang menggetarkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of Yama with the staff of punishment to show how unchecked martial fury and the momentum of war can resemble impersonal cosmic retribution. It underscores the ethical gravity of violence: when a warrior becomes an instrument of destruction, he inspires dread like Death itself, reminding listeners that adharma-driven conflict culminates in inevitable ruin.
Sañjaya describes a formidable warrior emerging from the water holding a mace. His appearance is so terrifying and authoritative that all beings imagine him to be Yama (Antaka) himself, staff in hand—an intensification of the battlefield atmosphere just before further combat.