Shloka 59

Devanagari script

शोणिताक्तां गदां बिशभ्रदुक्षितां गजशोणितै: । कृतान्त इव रौद्रात्मा भीमसेनो व्यदृश्यत,खूनमें सनी तथा हाथियोंके रक्तसे भीगी हुई गदा लिये रौद्ररूपधारी भीमसेन यमराजके समान दिखायी देते थे

Transliteration

śoṇitāktāṃ gadāṃ bibhrad ukṣitāṃ gajaśoṇitaiḥ | kṛtānta iva raudrātmā bhīmaseno vyadṛśyata ||

Translation

Disse Sañjaya: Viu-se Bhīmasena empunhando sua maça, besuntada de sangue e encharcada do sangue dos elefantes; feroz de espírito, parecia o próprio Kṛtānta (a Morte).

Word by Word

शोणिताक्ताम्smeared with blood

गदाम्mace

बिभ्रत्bearing, carrying

उक्षिताम्sprinkled, drenched

गजशोणितैःwith elephant-blood

कृतान्तःDeath (Yama)

इवlike, as if

रौद्रात्माof fierce nature

भीमसेनःBhimasena

व्यदृश्यतwas seen, appeared

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

gadā (mace)

gaja (elephants)

Kṛtānta (Yama/Death)

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 how, in the extremity of war, even a dharma-aligned warrior can appear like Death itself—reminding the listener that righteous duty in battle still carries terrifying, irreversible consequences and demands inner restraint and accountability.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma is rampaging on the battlefield, holding a mace smeared with blood and soaked with the blood of elephants, and that his fierce appearance resembles Kṛtānta (Yama/Death).