Shloka 46

Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ

Mace-duel’s intense exchange

Devanagari script

महामनस्वी पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेनने गदा उठाकर आपके महामना पुत्र दुर्योधनपर बड़े वेगसे आक्रमण किया ।।

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | mahāmanasvī pāṇḍuputro bhīmaseno gadām utthāpya tava mahāmanāḥ putraṃ duryodhanaṃ prati mahāvegād ākrāmat || bṛṃhanti kuñjarās tatra hayā hreṣanti cāsakṛt | śastrāṇi cāpy adīpyanta pāṇḍavānāṃ jayaiṣiṇām ||

Translation

三阇耶说道：般度之子、伟大的怖军举起铁棒，以猛烈之势向你那高贵的儿子难敌发起冲击。其时，大象频频长鸣，战马屡屡嘶叫；而渴求胜利的般度诸子之兵刃也闪耀生辉。

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'sañjaya uvāca', 'definition': 'Sañjaya said (narrator reporting to Dhṛtarāṣṭra)'}, {'term': 'mahāmanasvī / mahāmanāḥ', 'definition': 'great-minded, noble-spirited'}, {'term': 'pāṇḍuputraḥ', 'definition': 'son of Pāṇḍu (epithet of a Pāṇḍava)'}, {'term': 'bhīmasenaḥ', 'definition': 'Bhīma, mighty warrior among the Pāṇḍavas'}, {'term': 'gadā', 'definition': 'mace (heavy club weapon)'}, {'term': 'utthāpya', 'definition': 'having lifted/raised'}, {'term': 'duryodhanam prati', 'definition': 'towards/against Duryodhana'}, {'term': 'mahāvega', 'definition': 'great speed/impetus, tremendous force'}, {'term': 'ākrāmat', 'definition': 'attacked, charged, advanced upon'}, {'term': 'kuñjarāḥ', 'definition': 'elephants'}, {'term': 'bṛṃhanti', 'definition': 'trumpet/roar (of elephants)'}, {'term': 'hayāḥ', 'definition': 'horses'}, {'term': 'hreṣanti', 'definition': 'neigh'}, {'term': 'asakṛt', 'definition': 'repeatedly, again and again'}, {'term': 'śastrāṇi', 'definition': 'weapons (arms, implements of war)'}, {'term': 'adīpyanta', 'definition': 'blazed, shone, flashed'}, {'term': 'jayaiṣiṇām', 'definition': 'of those desiring victory'}]

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Pāṇḍu
• Duryodhana
• Pāṇḍavas
• gadā (mace)
• kuñjara (elephants)
• haya (horses)
• śastra (weapons)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in moments of decisive conflict, inner resolve manifests outwardly—through bold action and the charged response of the battlefield. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s tension: even noble intent and rightful cause unfold within the tragic machinery of war, where victory-seeking can intensify violence and its consequences.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Bhīma raises his mace and rushes at Duryodhana with great force. The battlefield reacts: elephants trumpet, horses neigh repeatedly, and the Pāṇḍavas’ weapons gleam—signaling the escalation toward a climactic confrontation.