स कृत्वा कदनं तत्र प्रगृहीतशरासनः ॥
आस्थितो रौद्रम् आत्मानं जघान समरे परान् ॥
कलिङ्गप्रभवां चैव मांसशोणितकर्दमाम् ॥
रुधिरस्यन्दिनीं तत्र भीमः प्रावर्तयन् नदीम् ॥
अन्तरेण कलिङ्गानां पाण्डवानां च वाहिनीम् ॥
संततार सुदुस्तारां भीमसेनो महाबलः ॥
भीमसेनं तथा दृष्ट्वा प्राक्रोशंस् तावका नृप ॥
कालो ऽयं भीमरूपेण कलिङ्गैः सह युध्यते ॥
ततः शांतनवो भीष्मः श्रुत्वा तं निनदं रणे ॥
अभ्ययात् त्वरितो भीमं व्यूढानीकः समन्ततः ॥
तं सात्यकिर् भीमसेनो धृष्टद्युम्नश् च पार्षतः ॥
अभ्यद्रवन्त भीष्मस्य रथं हेमपरिष्कृतम् ॥
परिवार्य च ते सर्वे गाङ्गेयं रभसं रणे ॥
त्रिभिस् त्रिभिः शरैर् घोरैर् भीष्मम् आनर्छुर् अञ्जसा ॥
प्रत्यविध्यत तान् सर्वान् पिता देवव्रतस् तव ॥
यतमानान् महेष्वासांस् त्रिभिस् त्रिभिर् अजिह्मगैः ॥
ततः शरसहस्रेण संनिवार्य महारथान् ॥
हयान् काञ्चनसंनाहान् भीमस्य न्यहनच् छरैः ॥
हताश्वे तु रथे तिष्ठन् भीमसेनः प्रतापवान् ॥
शक्तिं चिक्षेप तरसा गाङ्गेयस्य रथं प्रति ॥
अप्राप्ताम् एव तां शक्तिं पिता देवव्रतस् तव ॥
त्रिधा चिच्छेद समरे सा पृथिव्याम् अशीर्यत ॥
ततः शैक्यायसीं गुर्वीं प्रगृह्य बलवद् गदाम् ॥
भीमसेनो रथात् तूर्णं पुप्लुवे मनुजर्षभ ॥
सात्यको ऽपि ततस् तूर्णं भीमस्य प्रियकाम्यया ॥
सारथिं कुरुवृद्धस्य पातयाम् आस सायकैः ॥
भीष्मस् तु निहते तस्मिन् सारथौ रथिनां वरः ॥
वातायमानैस् तैर् अश्वैर् अपनीतो रणाजिरात् ॥
भीमसेनस् ततो राजन्न् अपनीते महाव्रते ॥
प्रजज्वाल यथा वह्निर् दहन् कक्षम् इवैधितः ॥
स हत्वा सर्वकालिङ्गान् सेनामध्ये व्यतिष्ठत ॥
नैनम् अभ्युत्सहन् के चित् तावका भरतर्षभ ॥
sa kṛtvā kadanaṃ tatra pragṛhītaśarāsanaḥ ||
āsthito raudram ātmānaṃ jaghāna samare parān ||
kaliṅgaprabhavāṃ caiva māṃsaśoṇitakardamām ||
rudhirasyandinīṃ tatra bhīmaḥ prāvartayan nadīm ||
antareṇa kaliṅgānāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ ca vāhinīm ||
saṃtatāra sudustārāṃ bhīmaseno mahābalaḥ ||
bhīmasenaṃ tathā dṛṣṭvā prākrośaṃs tāvakā nṛpa ||
kālo 'yaṃ bhīmarūpeṇa kaliṅgaiḥ saha yudhyate ||
tataḥ śāṃtanavo bhīṣmaḥ śrutvā taṃ ninadaṃ raṇe ||
abhyayāt tvarito bhīmaṃ vyūḍhānīkaḥ samantataḥ ||
taṃ sātyakir bhīmaseno dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca pārṣataḥ ||
abhyadravanta bhīṣmasya rathaṃ hemapariṣkṛtam ||
parivārya ca te sarve gāṅgeyaṃ rabhasaṃ raṇe ||
tribhis tribhiḥ śarair ghorair bhīṣmam ānarchur añjasā ||
pratyavidhyata tān sarvān pitā devavratas tava ||
yatamānān maheṣvāsāṃs tribhis tribhir ajihmagaiḥ ||
tataḥ śarasahasreṇa saṃnivārya mahārathān ||
hayān kāñcanasaṃnāhān bhīmasya nyahanac charaiḥ ||
hatāśve tu rathe tiṣṭhan bhīmasenaḥ pratāpavān ||
śaktiṃ cikṣepa tarasā gāṅgeyasya rathaṃ prati ||
aprāptām eva tāṃ śaktiṃ pitā devavratas tava ||
tridhā ciccheda samare sā pṛthivyām aśīryata ||
tataḥ śaikyāyasīṃ gurvīṃ pragṛhya balavad gadām ||
bhīmaseno rathāt tūrṇaṃ pupluve manujarṣabha ||
sātyako 'pi tatas tūrṇaṃ bhīmasya priyakāmyayā ||
sārathiṃ kuruvṛddhasya pātayām āsa sāyakaiḥ ||
bhīṣmas tu nihate tasmin sārathau rathināṃ varaḥ ||
vātāyamānais tair aśvair apanīto raṇājirāt ||
bhīmasenas tato rājann apanīte mahāvrate ||
prajajvāla yathā vahnir dahan kakṣam ivaidhitaḥ ||
sa hatvā sarvakāliṅgān senāmadhye vyatiṣṭhata ||
nainam abhyutsahan ke cit tāvakā bharatarṣabha ||
Having wrought such slaughter there, Bhima, bow in hand, assumed a terrible aspect and struck down enemies in the battle. There he set flowing a river born of the Kalingas, muddy with flesh and blood, streaming with gore. Mighty Bhimasena crossed that exceedingly hard-to-cross river, which ran between the Kalingas and the Pandava army. Seeing Bhimasena in this state, your men, O king, cried out: "This is very Time itself, in the form of Bhima, fighting against the Kalingas!" Hearing that cry in the battle, Bhishma, son of Shantanu, swiftly advanced upon Bhima with his army arrayed all around him. Satyaki, Bhimasena, and Dhrishtadyumna, son of Prishata, rushed at Bhishma's gold-adorned chariot. Surrounding the fierce son of Ganga in the fight, they struck Bhishma directly, each with three terrible arrows. Your father Devavrata struck back at all of these pressing great bowmen, each with three straight arrows. Then, having checked the great chariot-warriors with a thousand arrows, he slew Bhima's gold-caparisoned horses with his shafts. Standing on his now horseless chariot, mighty Bhimasena swiftly hurled a spear at the chariot of the son of Ganga. But your father Devavrata cut that spear into three pieces before it could even reach him, and it scattered to the ground. Then Bhimasena seized his heavy, all-iron mace and swiftly leapt down from his chariot, O bull among men. Satyaki too, out of love for Bhima, swiftly struck down the charioteer of the elder of the Kurus with his arrows. When that charioteer had been slain, Bhishma, foremost of chariot-warriors, was carried off the battlefield by his wind-swift horses. Then, O king, once the great-vowed one had been borne away, Bhimasena blazed up like a fire fed with fuel, consuming dry grass. Having slain all the Kalingas, he stood in the midst of the army, and none of your men dared approach him, O bull among the Bharatas.
8c5346db92a8 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:12:34 PM UTC
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When Bhishma himself intervenes, the battle rises for a moment to a new level, yet Satyaki secures Bhima's safety through one precise act against the charioteer. Even the greatest heroes depend on such details — the state of a chariot, the moment, the support of allies.