Shloka 51
Śalya–Bhīma Gadā-saṃnipāta and Śalya’s Bāṇa-jāla against Yudhiṣṭhira
Book 9, Chapter 11
यह देख पराक्रमी भीमसेन कुपित हो ओठ चबाते हुए रणभूमिमें शल्यके विनाशका संकल्प लेकर यमदण्डके समान भयंकर गदा लिये उनपर टूट पड़े। हाथी
sañjaya uvāca | idaṁ dṛṣṭvā parākramī bhīmasenaḥ kupito oṣṭhaṁ caṣan raṇabhūmau śalyasya vināśa-saṅkalpaṁ kṛtvā yamadaṇḍa-sadṛśāṁ bhayānakāṁ gadāṁ gṛhītvā tam abhyadravat | sā gadā hastināṁ aśvānāṁ manuṣyāṇāṁ ca śarīra-vināśa-karī saṁhārāya udyatā kālarātri-samā babhāse | hemapaṭṭa-parikṣiptām ulkāṁ prajvalitām iva, śaikyāṁ vyālīm iva atyugrāṁ vajra-kalpām ayo-mayīm | tasyāḥ suvarṇa-paṭṭaḥ samāropita āsīt | sā ayo-mayī vajra-tulyā gadā prajvalitolkā-sadṛśī, śaikyopaviṣṭa-sarpiṇī-sadṛśī ca atibhīṣaṇā babhāse | candana-aguru-lepāṅgīṁ yathā kāmya-priyatamāṁ ramāṇīm iva, tathā tasyāḥ sarvāṅge vasā-medaḥ liptam āsīt | sā darśanena yamarājasya jihvā-samā bhayānakā babhāse |
三阇耶说道：见此情形，勇猛的毗摩塞那怒不可遏，咬着嘴唇，在战场上立下誓愿要毁灭舍利耶。他握起可怖的铁槌，犹如阎摩的刑杖，便猛然扑向对手。那铁槌——足以粉碎象、马与人之躯——宛如迦罗罗底，灭世之夜，正待屠戮。其上缠以金箍，炽亮如燃烧的流星；以铁锻成，坚若金刚（vajra），又似雌蛇盘踞在磨石之上般令人胆寒。它通体涂满脂膏与骨髓，竟在阴森的反衬中，像一位以檀香与沉香涂抹的爱侣；然而入目之时，却可怖如死神之舌。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral gravity of war: a warrior’s resolve (saṅkalpa) becomes an instrument of retribution, and the imagery of Yama and Kālarātri reminds the listener that violence on the battlefield is inseparable from death, consequence, and the stern logic of kṣatriya-dharma.
Sanjaya describes Bhima, provoked and determined to kill Shalya, charging at him with a terrifying iron mace. The weapon is portrayed through intense similes—meteor, thunderbolt, serpent, and Yama’s tongue—to convey imminent slaughter and the climactic ferocity of the encounter.