Shloka 42
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
तमुत्तीर्ण महाबाहुं गदाहस्तमरिंदमम् | मेनिरे सर्वभूतानि दण्डपाणिमिवान्तकम्
tam uttīrṇaṁ mahābāhuṁ gadāhastam ariṁdamam | menire sarvabhūtāni daṇḍapāṇim ivāntakam ||
Sabi ni Sañjaya: Nang umahon (mula sa tubig) ang bayaning makapangyarihan ang mga bisig, may gada sa kamay, tagadurog ng kaaway, inakala ng lahat ng nilalang na siya’y tulad ni Yama, Panginoon ng Kamatayan, na nagpakita na may hawak na pamalo. Pinatitingkad ng tagpong ito ang tensiyong moral ng digmaan: ang poot at paninindigan ng iisang mandirigma ay kayang maghagis ng anino ng pangamba sa daigdig, habang ang karahasan ay nag-aanyong kahanga-hangang paghihiganti ng kosmos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the image of Yama with the staff of punishment to show how unchecked martial fury and the momentum of war can resemble impersonal cosmic retribution. It underscores the ethical gravity of violence: when a warrior becomes an instrument of destruction, he inspires dread like Death itself, reminding listeners that adharma-driven conflict culminates in inevitable ruin.
Sañjaya describes a formidable warrior emerging from the water holding a mace. His appearance is so terrifying and authoritative that all beings imagine him to be Yama (Antaka) himself, staff in hand—an intensification of the battlefield atmosphere just before further combat.