Shloka 31
Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)
उदक्रोशच्च संदहृष्टस्त्रासयानो वरूथिनीम् । राजन! भीमसेनने अपने विशाल खड्गसे उसके वेगपूर्वक चलाये हुए तीखे बाणके दो टुकड़े कर दिये और कलिंगोंकी सेनाको भयभीत करते हुए हर्षमें भरकर बड़े जोरसे सिंहनाद किया || ३० ह ।।
sañjaya uvāca | udakrośac ca saṃdahṛṣṭas trāsayāno varūthinīm | rājan bhīmasenena ātmanaḥ viśālakhadgena tasya vegapūrvakaṃ calāyitānāṃ tīkṣṇabāṇānāṃ dvau ṭukau kṛtau, kaliṅgānāṃ senāṃ bhayabhītāṃ kurvan harṣeṇa pūrṇaḥ mahābalena siṃhanādaṃ cakāra | tataḥ kruddhaḥ kaliṅgarāṭ bhīmasenāya saṃyuge ... |
Sañjaya thưa: “Hân hoan và gầm vang, Bhīmasena dùng thanh kiếm bản rộng chém đôi những mũi tên sắc như dao đang lao tới của quân thù. Rồi để làm hàng ngũ Kaliṅga khiếp đảm, chàng tràn đầy niềm vui dữ dội và cất tiếng rống sư tử vang trời. Bởi thế, vua Kaliṅga nổi giận, quay hẳn về phía Bhīmasena giữa cơn giao chiến.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores a kṣatriya ideal: steadfast courage and skill in battle can protect one’s side and break the enemy’s morale. Yet it also shows how displays of dominance provoke anger and counterattack, reminding readers that war tends to intensify through cycles of fear, pride, and retaliation.
Sañjaya reports that Bhīma, exhilarated, slices the enemy’s fast-flying sharp arrows into two with his broad sword and then roars like a lion to frighten the Kalinga troops. The king of Kalinga becomes furious and advances against Bhīma in battle.