Shloka 13
Bhagadattā’s Deployment Against Ghaṭotkaca; Elephant-Corps Escalation
(चचार युधि राजेन्द्र भीमो भीमपराक्रम: । सुनाभस्तव पुत्रो वै भीमसेनमुपाद्रवत् ।।
sañjaya uvāca | cacāra yudhi rājendra bhīmo bhīmaparākramaḥ | sunābhastava putro vai bhīmasenamupādravat || jaghāna niśitairbāṇairbhīmaṃ vivyādha saptabhiḥ | bhīmasenaḥ susaṃkruddhaḥ śareṇa nataparvaṇā || sunābhasya śareṇāśu śiraskaśchiccheda bhārata | kṣurapreṇa sutīkṣṇena sa hato nyapatad bhuvi ||
चचार युधि राजेन्द्र भीमो भीमपराक्रमः । सुनाभस्तव पुत्रो वै भीमसेनमुपाद्रवत् ॥ जघान निशितैर्बाणैर्भीमं विव्याध सप्तभिः । भीमसेनः सुसंक्रुद्धः शरेण नतपर्वणा ॥ सुनाभस्य शरेणाशु शिरश्छिच्छेद भारत । क्षुरप्रेण सुतीक्ष्णेन स हतो न्यपतद्भुवि ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral atmosphere of war: once combat is joined, anger and duty drive swift retaliation. It implicitly warns how quickly violence escalates—an ethical reminder that even in a dharma-framed battle, wrath (krodha) can dominate and lead to irreversible outcomes.
On the battlefield, Bhīma moves about striking foes. Sunābha, a son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra, charges and wounds Bhīma with seven sharp arrows. Bhīma, enraged, responds immediately by cutting off Sunābha’s head with a razor-like kṣurapra arrow, and Sunābha falls dead to the ground.