Shloka 33

Daiva–Puruṣakāra Discourse and the Elephant-Corps Engagement (भीमगजानीक-सम्भ्रान्ति)

Devanagari script

निकृत्य तु रणे भीमस्तोमरान्‌ वै चतुर्दश

Transliteration

nikṛtya tu raṇe bhīmas tomarān vai caturdaśa

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Giữa trận mạc, Bhīma, sau khi đánh gục đối phương, đã phá hủy mười bốn ngọn giáo—một hình ảnh của đà tiến dữ dội và sức bạo liệt nghiền nát vũ khí không ngừng của chiến tranh.

Word by Word

• निकृत्य: having cut down / having slain
• Type: Verb
• Root: नि√कृत्
• Form: ल्यप् (क्त्वा-र्थे), कर्तरि, absolutive (gerund)

• तु: but / indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• रणे: in battle
• रणे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रण
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• भीमः: Bhima
• भीमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: भीम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तोमरान्: javelins / spears
• तोमरान्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: तोमर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• वै: indeed / surely
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: वै

• चतुर्दश: fourteen
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चतुर्दश
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural, with तोमरान्

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīma
• tomara (spears/javelins)
• raṇa (battlefield)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the grim reality of kṣatriya warfare: valor is shown through decisive action and endurance amid lethal exchanges. It also hints at the ethical tension of the epic—heroic prowess is celebrated, yet it unfolds within a tragic, escalating violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment where Bhīma, in combat, cuts down the opponent(s) and breaks or neutralizes fourteen spears (tomaras), emphasizing his strength and the intensity of the engagement.