Shloka 105
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
भीमसेनं तथा दृष्टवा प्राक्रोशंस्तावका नृप । कालो<यं भीमरूपेण कलिदड्लैः सह युध्यते
sañjaya uvāca |
bhīmasenaṃ tathā dṛṣṭvā prākrośaṃs tāvakā nṛpa |
kālo ’yaṃ bhīmarūpeṇa kaliṅgaiḥ saha yudhyate ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “O hari, nang makita si Bhīmasena sa gayong nakapanghihilakbot na anyo, sumigaw nang malakas ang iyong mga mandirigma: ‘Ito na ang Panahon mismo—ang Kamatayan na nagkatawang-tao—na nagpakita sa anyo ni Bhīma at nakikipagdigma rito kasama ng mga Kaliṅga!’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring vision of kāla—inevitable Time/Death—operating through human agency in war. Bhīma’s overwhelming force makes soldiers perceive him not merely as a man but as the instrument of fate, reminding readers of the fragility of life and the unstoppable momentum of destruction once adharma-driven conflict erupts.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava troops, seeing Bhīma’s terrifying prowess on the battlefield, shout that he appears like Kāla itself embodied, fighting together with the Kaliṅga contingent.