Shloka 11

Sauptika-parva Adhyāya 13 — Bhīmasena’s Pursuit of Drauṇi and the Release of a Divine Astra

Devanagari script

ते समार्च्छन्नरव्याप्रा: क्षणेन भरतर्षभ । भीमसेन महेष्वासं समनुद्रुत्य वेगिता:,भरतश्रेष्ठ! वे तीनों नरश्रेष्ठ बड़े वेगसे पीछे-पीछे दौड़कर क्षणभरमें महाधनुर्धर भीमसेनके पास जा पहुँचे

Transliteration

te samārcchann aravyāprāḥ kṣaṇena bharatarṣabha | bhīmasena-maheṣvāsaṃ samanudrutya vegitāḥ ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: О бык среди Бхаратов, те трое лучших из мужей, быстрые в деянии, ринулись вслед за ним с великим напором и в одно мгновение настигли Бхимасену, могучего лучника.

Word by Word

तेthey (those)

समार्च्छन्reached / came up to

नरव्याप्राःtigers among men (best of men)

क्षणेनin a moment

भरतर्षभO bull among the Bharatas

भीमसेनम्Bhimasena

महेष्वासम्the great bowman

समनुद्रुत्यhaving run after / having pursued

वेगिताःimpelled, swift, speeding

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Bharatarṣabha (Janamejaya)

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

the three warriors (unnamed in this verse)

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 heat of war, determination and urgency can override hesitation: swift pursuit becomes a sign of resolve. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—martial efficiency and courage on one side, and the escalating, often uncontrollable momentum of violence on the other.

What is happening in the narrative?

Three warriors, moving with great speed, chase after and quickly catch up to Bhīma, described as a formidable archer. The narration emphasizes the immediacy of the encounter and the intensity of the pursuit.