Shloka 89
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
भीमसेन भयत्रस्तं सैन्यं च समकम्पत । क्षोभ्यमाणमसम्बाधं ग्राहेणेव महत् सर:
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmasena-bhayatrastaṃ sainyaṃ ca samakampata | kṣobhyamāṇam asambādhaṃ grāheṇeva mahat saraḥ ||
Sañjaya disse: O exército, aterrorizado por Bhīmasena, começou a tremer. Sem freio e sem obstáculo, foi revolvido em tumulto—como um vasto lago que se agita quando é agarrado por um crocodilo. Assim, toda aquela hoste, remexida sem cessar por Bhīmasena, estremecia de medo.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked force and fearless momentum can dissolve an army’s cohesion: fear spreads rapidly, and even a large host becomes unstable when confronted by overwhelming, relentless power. Ethically, it also points to the inner dimension of war—victory and collapse are shaped not only by weapons but by morale and the capacity to withstand terror.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma’s onslaught in the battle: as Bhīmasena attacks without being stopped, the opposing troops are shaken and panic-stricken. The army’s agitation is compared to a great lake violently churned when a crocodile seizes and thrashes within it.