इत्य् एवम् उक्त्वा तौ वीरौ स्पर्धमानौ परस्परम् ॥
बाहुभिः समसज्जेताम् उभौ रक्षोवृकोदरौ ॥
तयोर् आसीत् संप्रहारः क्रुद्धयोर् भीमरक्षसोः ॥
अमृष्यमाणयोः संख्ये देवदानवयोर् इव ॥
आरुज्यारुज्य तौ वृक्षान् अन्योन्यम् अभिजघ्नतुः ॥
जीमूताव् इव घर्मान्ते विनदन्तौ महाबलौ ॥
बभञ्जतुर् महावृक्षान् ऊरुभिर् बलिनां वरौ ॥
अन्योन्येनाभिसंरब्धौ परस्परजयैषिणौ ॥
तद् वृक्षयुद्धम् अभवन् महीरुहविनाशनम् ॥
वालिसुग्रीवयोर् भ्रात्रोः पुरेव कपिसिंहयोः ॥
आविध्याविध्य तौ वृक्षान् मुहूर्तम् इतरेतरम् ॥
ताडयाम् आसतुर् उभौ विनदन्तौ मुहुर् मुहुः ॥
तस्मिन् देशे यदा वृक्षाः सर्व एव निपातिताः ॥
पुञ्जीकृताश् च शतशः परस्परवधेप्सया ॥
तदा शिलाः समादाय मुहूर्तम् इव भारत ॥
महाभ्रैर् इव शैलेन्द्रौ युयुधाते महाबलौ ॥
उग्राभिर् उग्ररूपाभिर् बृहतीभिः परस्परम् ॥
वज्रैर् इव महावेगैर् आजघ्नतुर् अमर्षणौ ॥
अभिहत्य च भूयस् ताव् अन्योन्यं बलदर्पितौ ॥
भुजाभ्यां परिगृह्याथ चकर्षाते गजाव् इव ॥
मुष्टिभिश् च महाघोरैर् अन्योन्यम् अभिपेततुः ॥
तयोश् चटचटाशब्दो बभूव सुमहात्मनोः ॥
ततः संहृत्य मुष्टिं तु पञ्चशीर्षम् इवोरगम् ॥
वेगेनाभ्यहनद् भीमो राक्षसस्य शिरोधराम् ॥
ततः श्रान्तं तु तद् रक्षो भीमसेनभुजाहतम् ॥
सुपरिश्रान्तम् आलक्ष्य भीमसेनो ऽभ्यवर्तत ॥
तत एनं महाबाहुर् बाहुभ्याम् अमरोपमः ॥
समुत्क्षिप्य बलाद् भीमो निष्पिपेष महीतले ॥
तस्य गात्राणि सर्वाणि चूर्णयाम् आस पाण्डवः ॥
अरत्निना चाभिहत्य शिरः कायाद् अपाहरत् ॥
संदष्टोष्ठं विवृत्ताक्षं फलं वृन्ताद् इव च्युतम् ॥
जटासुरस्य तु शिरो भीमसेनबलाद् धृतम् ॥
पपात रुधिरादिग्धं संदष्टदशनच्छदम् ॥
तं निहत्य महेष्वासो युधिष्ठिरम् उपागमत् ॥
स्तूयमानो द्विजाग्र्यैस् तैर् मरुद्भिर् इव वासवः ॥
ity evam uktvā tau vīrau spardhamānau parasparam ||
bāhubhiḥ samasajjetām ubhau rakṣovṛkodarau ||
tayor āsīt saṃprahāraḥ kruddhayor bhīmarakṣasoḥ ||
amṛṣyamāṇayoḥ saṃkhye devadānavayor iva ||
ārujyārujya tau vṛkṣān anyonyam abhijaghnatuḥ ||
jīmūtāv iva gharmānte vinadantau mahābalau ||
babhañjatur mahāvṛkṣān ūrubhir balināṃ varau ||
anyonyenābhisaṃrabdhau parasparajayaiṣiṇau ||
tad vṛkṣayuddham abhavan mahīruhavināśanam ||
vālisugrīvayor bhrātroḥ pureva kapisiṃhayoḥ ||
āvidhyāvidhya tau vṛkṣān muhūrtam itaretaram ||
tāḍayām āsatur ubhau vinadantau muhur muhuḥ ||
tasmin deśe yadā vṛkṣāḥ sarva eva nipātitāḥ ||
puñjīkṛtāś ca śataśaḥ parasparavadhepsayā ||
tadā śilāḥ samādāya muhūrtam iva bhārata ||
mahābhrair iva śailendrau yuyudhāte mahābalau ||
ugrābhir ugrarūpābhir bṛhatībhiḥ parasparam ||
vajrair iva mahāvegair ājaghnatur amarṣaṇau ||
abhihatya ca bhūyas tāv anyonyaṃ baladarpitau ||
bhujābhyāṃ parigṛhyātha cakarṣāte gajāv iva ||
muṣṭibhiś ca mahāghorair anyonyam abhipetatuḥ ||
tayoś caṭacaṭāśabdo babhūva sumahātmanoḥ ||
tataḥ saṃhṛtya muṣṭiṃ tu pañcaśīrṣam ivoragam ||
vegenābhyahanad bhīmo rākṣasasya śirodharām ||
tataḥ śrāntaṃ tu tad rakṣo bhīmasenabhujāhatam ||
supariśrāntam ālakṣya bhīmaseno 'bhyavartata ||
tata enaṃ mahābāhur bāhubhyām amaropamaḥ ||
samutkṣipya balād bhīmo niṣpipeṣa mahītale ||
tasya gātrāṇi sarvāṇi cūrṇayām āsa pāṇḍavaḥ ||
aratninā cābhihatya śiraḥ kāyād apāharat ||
saṃdaṣṭoṣṭhaṃ vivṛttākṣaṃ phalaṃ vṛntād iva cyutam ||
jaṭāsurasya tu śiro bhīmasenabalād dhṛtam ||
papāta rudhirādigdhaṃ saṃdaṣṭadaśanacchadam ||
taṃ nihatya maheṣvāso yudhiṣṭhiram upāgamat ||
stūyamāno dvijāgryais tair marudbhir iva vāsavaḥ ||
Vaishampayana said: 'Having spoken thus, the two heroes, the rakshasa and Vrikodara, rivaling one another, grappled hand to hand. Terrible was their clash in battle, like the combat of a deva and a danava. They tore up trees and struck each other with them, roaring like thunderclouds at the end of the hot season. Both, the foremost among the mighty, broke great trees with their thighs, each eager to defeat the other. This battle of trees, which laid waste the forest, resembled the ancient fight between Vali and Sugriva. For a while they hurled trees at one another, and when all the trees in that place had been felled and lay piled by the hundreds, they took up rocks. The mighty ones fought with them like two great mountain peaks battling with thunderclouds. With huge and terrible rocks, like thunderbolts, they struck each other; then, swelling with the pride of strength, they seized each other with their arms, like two elephants. They fell upon each other with terrible fists, and from the blows arose a great crackling sound. Then Bhima clenched his fist, like a five-headed serpent, and struck the rakshasa's neck with force. Seeing that he was exhausted from the blows of his arms, Bhimasena rushed at him, lifted him up with his mighty arms, and hurled him down upon the ground with force. The Pandava crushed all his limbs and, striking with his elbow, tore his head from his body. The head of Jatasura, drenched in blood, its lips bitten, its eyes rolled back, fell like a fruit dropping from its stalk. Having slain him, the great archer Bhima came to Yudhishthira, praised by the foremost of the twice-born, like Vasava praised by the Maruts.'
75efb736e24e · published Jul 16, 2026, 5:09:16 PM UTC
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The death of Jatasura restores the order that was broken. Bhima here does not merely take revenge: he puts an end to an evil that had hidden behind trust and a sacred form.