Shloka 29
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
स तन्न ममृषे वीर: शत्रोर्विक्रममाहवे । ततो<स्य गदया दान्तान् हयान् सर्वानपातयत्,वीर भीमसेन युद्धमें शत्रुके इस पराक्रमको न सह सके। उन्होंने अपनी गदाद्वारा उसके समस्त सुशिक्षित घोड़ोंको मार डाला
sa tan na mamṛṣe vīraḥ śatror vikramam āhave | tato 'sya gadayā dāntān hayān sarvān apātayat ||
सञ्जय उवाच—स वीरः शत्रोर्विक्रमं समरे न ममर्ष। ततः स गदया तस्य सर्वान् दान्तान् हयान् अपातयत्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where a warrior responds to an opponent’s rising advantage by targeting the opponent’s mobility and tactical capacity. It reflects the pragmatic side of kṣatriya conduct: restraining an enemy’s momentum can be seen as necessary for survival and strategic balance, even though it intensifies the violence of war.
Sañjaya describes a hero who, unable to bear the enemy’s display of valor in combat, retaliates by using a mace to bring down all of the enemy’s well-trained horses, thereby crippling the opponent’s chariot-force and immediate battlefield effectiveness.