ततः प्राचीं दिशं भीमो ययौ भीमपराक्रमः ॥
सैन्येन महता राजन् कम्पयन्न् इव मेदिनीम् ॥
सो ऽश्वमेधेश्वरं राजन् रोचमानं सहानुजम् ॥
जिगाय समरे वीरो बलेन बलिनां वरः ॥
स तं निर्जित्य कौन्तेयो नातितीव्रेण कर्मणा ॥
पूर्वदेशं महावीर्यो विजिग्ये कुरुनन्दनः ॥
tataḥ prācīṃ diśaṃ bhīmo yayau bhīmaparākramaḥ ||
sainyena mahatā rājan kampayann iva medinīm ||
so 'śvamedheśvaraṃ rājan rocamānaṃ sahānujam ||
jigāya samare vīro balena balināṃ varaḥ ||
sa taṃ nirjitya kaunteyo nātitīvreṇa karmaṇā ||
pūrvadeśaṃ mahāvīryo vijigye kurunandanaḥ ||
Then Bhima, of terrible prowess, set out toward the eastern direction with a great army, O king, as if making the earth tremble. In battle he, the hero, the best of the strong, conquered the lord of Ashvamedha, Rochamana, together with his younger brother. Having conquered him with a measure not too harsh, the mighty Kaunteya, the delight of the Kurus, subdued the eastern land.
426a63da6326 · published Jul 16, 2026, 3:28:51 PM UTC
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Of Bhima, terror of his foes, the same is said as of Arjuna: he conquers "not with too harsh a measure" (nātitīvreṇa). It is telling that this very power, able to make the earth tremble, is held in check by dharma: the strongest applies only as much as victory requires, no more. The verse teaches that true strength is known by restraint from excess; one who can crush but does not crush beyond measure has mastery not only over the enemy but over himself -- and mastery over oneself is higher than mastery over lands.