कलिङ्गस् तु महेष्वासः पुत्रश् चास्य महारथः ॥
शक्रदेव इति ख्यातो जघ्नतुः पाण्डवं शरैः ॥
ततो भीमो महाबाहुर् विधुन्वन् रुचिरं धनुः ॥
योधयाम् आस कालिङ्गान् स्वबाहुबलम् आश्रितः ॥
शक्रदेवस् तु समरे विसृजन् सायकान् बहून् ॥
अश्वाञ् जघान समरे भीमसेनस्य सायकैः ॥
ववर्ष शरवर्षाणि तपान्ते जलदो यथा ॥
हताश्वे तु रथे तिष्ठन् भीमसेनो महाबलः ॥
शक्रदेवाय चिक्षेप सर्वशैक्यायसीं गदाम् ॥
स तया निहतो राजन् कलिङ्गस्य सुतो रथात् ॥
सध्वजः सह सूतेन जगाम धरणीतलम् ॥
हतम् आत्मसुतं दृष्ट्वा कलिङ्गानां जनाधिपः ॥
रथैर् अनेकसाहस्रैर् भिमस्यावारयद् दिशः ॥
ततो भीमो महाबाहुर् गुर्वीं त्यक्त्वा महागदाम् ॥
उद्बबर्हाथ निस्त्रिंशं चिकीर्षुः कर्म दारुणम् ॥
चर्म चाप्रतिमं राजन्न् आर्षभं पुरुषर्षभ ॥
नक्षत्रैर् अर्धचन्द्रैश् च शातकुम्भमयैश् चितम् ॥
कलिङ्गस् तु ततः क्रुद्धो धनुर्ज्याम् अवमृज्य ह ॥
प्रगृह्य च शरं घोरम् एकं सर्पविषोपमम् ॥
प्राहिणोद् भीमसेनाय वधाकाङ्क्षी जनेश्वरः ॥
तम् आपतन्तं वेगेन प्रेरितं निशितं शरम् ॥
भीमसेनो द्विधा राजंश् चिच्छेद विपुलासिना ॥
उदक्रोशच् च संहृष्टस् त्रासयानो वरूथिनीम् ॥
कलिङ्गस् तु ततः क्रुद्धो भीमसेनाय संयुगे ॥
तोमरान् प्राहिणोच् छीघ्रं चतुर्दश शिलाशितान् ॥
तान् अप्राप्तान् महाबाहुः खगतान् एव पाण्डवः ॥
चिच्छेद सहसा राजन्न् असंभ्रान्तो वरासिना ॥
निकृत्य तु रणे भीमस् तोमरान् वै चतुर्दश ॥
भानुमन्तम् अभिप्रेक्ष्य प्राद्रवत् पुरुषर्षभः ॥
भानुमांस् तु ततो भीमं शरवर्षेण छादयन् ॥
ननाद बलवन् नादं नादयानो नभस्तलम् ॥
न तं स ममृषे भीमः सिंहनादं महारणे ॥
ततः स्वरेण महता विननाद महास्वनम् ॥
तेन शब्देन वित्रस्ता कलिङ्गानां वरूथिनी ॥
न भीमं समरे मेने मानुषं भरतर्षभ ॥
kaliṅgas tu maheṣvāsaḥ putraś cāsya mahārathaḥ ||
śakradeva iti khyāto jaghnatuḥ pāṇḍavaṃ śaraiḥ ||
tato bhīmo mahābāhur vidhunvan ruciraṃ dhanuḥ ||
yodhayām āsa kāliṅgān svabāhubalam āśritaḥ ||
śakradevas tu samare visṛjan sāyakān bahūn ||
aśvāñ jaghāna samare bhīmasenasya sāyakaiḥ ||
vavarṣa śaravarṣāṇi tapānte jalado yathā ||
hatāśve tu rathe tiṣṭhan bhīmaseno mahābalaḥ ||
śakradevāya cikṣepa sarvaśaikyāyasīṃ gadām ||
sa tayā nihato rājan kaliṅgasya suto rathāt ||
sadhvajaḥ saha sūtena jagāma dharaṇītalam ||
hatam ātmasutaṃ dṛṣṭvā kaliṅgānāṃ janādhipaḥ ||
rathair anekasāhasrair bhimasyāvārayad diśaḥ ||
tato bhīmo mahābāhur gurvīṃ tyaktvā mahāgadām ||
udbabarhātha nistriṃśaṃ cikīrṣuḥ karma dāruṇam ||
carma cāpratimaṃ rājann ārṣabhaṃ puruṣarṣabha ||
nakṣatrair ardhacandraiś ca śātakumbhamayaiś citam ||
kaliṅgas tu tataḥ kruddho dhanurjyām avamṛjya ha ||
pragṛhya ca śaraṃ ghoram ekaṃ sarpaviṣopamam ||
prāhiṇod bhīmasenāya vadhākāṅkṣī janeśvaraḥ ||
tam āpatantaṃ vegena preritaṃ niśitaṃ śaram ||
bhīmaseno dvidhā rājaṃś ciccheda vipulāsinā ||
udakrośac ca saṃhṛṣṭas trāsayāno varūthinīm ||
kaliṅgas tu tataḥ kruddho bhīmasenāya saṃyuge ||
tomarān prāhiṇoc chīghraṃ caturdaśa śilāśitān ||
tān aprāptān mahābāhuḥ khagatān eva pāṇḍavaḥ ||
ciccheda sahasā rājann asaṃbhrānto varāsinā ||
nikṛtya tu raṇe bhīmas tomarān vai caturdaśa ||
bhānumantam abhiprekṣya prādravat puruṣarṣabhaḥ ||
bhānumāṃs tu tato bhīmaṃ śaravarṣeṇa chādayan ||
nanāda balavan nādaṃ nādayāno nabhastalam ||
na taṃ sa mamṛṣe bhīmaḥ siṃhanādaṃ mahāraṇe ||
tataḥ svareṇa mahatā vinanāda mahāsvanam ||
tena śabdena vitrastā kaliṅgānāṃ varūthinī ||
na bhīmaṃ samare mene mānuṣaṃ bharatarṣabha ||
Kalinga, the great archer, and his son, the maharatha known as Shakradeva, struck the Pandava with arrows. Then mighty-armed Bhima, brandishing his splendid bow and relying on the strength of his own arms, fought against the Kalingas. Shakradeva, in that battle, releasing many arrows, slew Bhimasena's horses with his shafts and poured down showers of arrows upon him, like a cloud at the end of the hot season. Standing in his chariot with its horses slain, mighty Bhimasena hurled an all-iron mace at Shakradeva. Struck down by it, O king, the son of Kalinga fell from his chariot to the ground, together with his banner and his charioteer. Having seen his own son slain, the ruler of the Kalingas blocked every quarter around Bhima with many thousands of chariots. Then mighty-armed Bhima, casting aside his heavy great mace, drew his sword, intending to do a terrible deed, and took up an incomparable shield of bull's hide, O king, O bull among men, adorned with stars and crescent moons worked in gold. Enraged, Kalinga then drew his bowstring and, taking up one terrible arrow like snake venom, sent it at Bhimasena, desiring his death, O lord of men. Bhima, with his great sword, cut in two that sharp arrow rushing swiftly toward him, and cried out with joy, frightening the battle array. Enraged, Kalinga then quickly hurled fourteen tomaras, whetted on stone, at Bhimasena in battle. The mighty-armed Pandava, unshaken, cut them down suddenly with his excellent sword while they were still flying through the air, before they reached him, O king. Having cut down the fourteen tomaras in battle, Bhima, best of men, saw Bhanumant and rushed at him. Bhanumant then covered Bhima with a rain of arrows and let out a mighty roar, making the sky resound. But Bhima could not bear this lion's roar in the great battle, and himself bellowed with a tremendous voice. At that sound the ranks of the Kalingas were terrified and no longer regarded Bhima in battle as a human being, O best of the Bharatas.
1d436a15da51 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:12:34 PM UTC
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This chapter gradually shifts Bhima from the image of a chariot hero to that of a devastating warrior on foot. Yet this terror for his enemies remains part of his defense of the Pandavas: his fury is turned against those who have surrounded and are pressing his own side.