Shloka 55
Adhyāya 65: Dawn Assembly, Makara–Śyena Vyūhas, and Commander Engagements
मेदोरुधिरदिग्धाड़ो वसामज्जासमुक्षित: । व्यचरत् समरे भीमो दण्डपाणिरिवान्तक:
sañjaya uvāca | medorudhiradigdhāṅgo vasāmajjāsamukṣitaḥ | vyacarat samare bhīmo daṇḍapāṇir ivāntakaḥ ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Nababalutan ng taba at dugo, basang-basâ na wari’y naligo sa sebo at utak-buto, si Bhīma ay naglalakad sa larangan ng digmaan—may hawak na pamalo—na parang si Antaka, tagapagdala ng kamatayan, na may tungkod ng parusa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of warfare: when battle turns into mass killing, the warrior’s role can resemble punitive cosmic justice (daṇḍa). It evokes the idea that adharma invites terrifying retribution, and that violence, even when duty-bound, carries a grim moral atmosphere.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma is roaming the battlefield in a fearsome state—his body smeared with blood and fat, soaked in grease and marrow—brandishing his weapon and appearing like Yama (Antaka), the personification of death and punishment.