Shloka 32
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
तोमरान् प्राहिणोच्छीघ्रं चतुर्दश शिलाशितान् | तब कलिंगराजने रणक्षेत्रमें अत्यन्त कुपित हो भीमसेनपर तुरंत ही चौदह तोमरोंका प्रहार किया, जिन्हें सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किया गया था ।।
tomarān prāhiṇoc chīghraṁ caturdaśa śilāśitān | tān prāptān mahābāhuḥ khagatān iva pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: O rei de Kaliṅga, inflamado de fúria no campo de batalha, arremessou com rapidez catorze lanças tomara, com as lâminas afiadas na pedra, contra Bhīmasena. E quando aquelas armas vieram voando em sua direção, o Pāṇḍava de braços poderosos as enfrentou como se fossem aves em pleno voo — impávido na violência da guerra, firme em coragem e determinação.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: even when confronted by sudden, sharpened weapons hurled in anger, a warrior is expected to remain steady, courageous, and skillful rather than shaken by fear or provoked into reckless rage.
Sañjaya describes the king of Kaliṅga, enraged in combat, hurling fourteen stone-whetted tomara-spears at Bhīma. Bhīma, called the mighty-armed Pāṇḍava, faces the incoming missiles confidently, likened to dealing with birds in flight.