एवम् उक्त्वा महाबाहुर् महद् विस्फार्य कार्मुकम् ॥
भारद्वाजस् ततो भीमं षड्विंशत्या समार्पयत् ॥
भूयश् चैनं महाबाहुः शरैः शीघ्रम् अवाकिरत् ॥
पर्वतं वारिधाराभिः शरदीव बलाहकः ॥
तं प्रत्यविध्यद् दशभिर् भीमसेनः शिलीमुखैः ॥
त्वरमाणो महेष्वासः सव्ये पार्श्वे महाबलः ॥
स गाढविद्धो व्यथितो वयोवृद्धश् च भारत ॥
प्रनष्टसंज्ञः सहसा रथोपस्थ उपाविशत् ॥
गुरुं प्रव्यथितं दृष्ट्वा राजा दुर्योधनः स्वयम् ॥
द्रौणायनिश् च संक्रुद्धौ भीमसेनम् अभिद्रुतौ ॥
ताव् आपतन्तौ संप्रेक्ष्य कालान्तकयमोपमौ ॥
भीमसेनो महाबाहुर् गदाम् आदाय सत्वरः ॥
अवप्लुत्य रथात् तूर्णं तस्थौ गिरिर् इवाचलः ॥
समुद्यम्य गदां गुर्वीं यमदण्डोपमां रणे ॥
तम् उद्यतगदं दृष्ट्वा कैलासम् इव शृङ्गिणम् ॥
कौरवो द्रोणपुत्रश् च सहिताव् अभ्यधावताम् ॥
ताव् आपतन्तौ सहितौ त्वरितौ बलिनां वरौ ॥
अभ्यधावत वेगेन त्वरमाणो वृकोदरः ॥
तम् आपतन्तं संप्रेक्ष्य संक्रुद्धं भीमदर्शनम् ॥
समभ्यधावंस् त्वरिताः कौरवाणां महारथाः ॥
भारद्वाजमुखाः सर्वे भीमसेनजिघांसया ॥
नानाविधानि शस्त्राणि भीमस्योरस्य् अपातयन् ॥
सहिताः पाण्डवं सर्वे पीडयन्तः समन्ततः ॥
तं दृष्ट्वा संशयं प्राप्तं पीड्यमानं महारथम् ॥
अभिमन्युप्रभृतयः पाण्डवानां महारथाः ॥
अभ्यधावन् परीप्सन्तः प्राणांस् त्यक्त्वा सुदुस्त्यजान् ॥
अनूपाधिपतिः शूरो भीमस्य दयितः सखा ॥
नीलो नीलाम्बुदप्रख्यः संक्रुद्धो द्रौणिम् अभ्ययात् ॥
स्पर्धते हि महेष्वासो नित्यं द्रोणसुतेन यः ॥
evam uktvā mahābāhur mahad visphārya kārmukam ||
bhāradvājas tato bhīmaṃ ṣaḍviṃśatyā samārpayat ||
bhūyaś cainaṃ mahābāhuḥ śaraiḥ śīghram avākirat ||
parvataṃ vāridhārābhiḥ śaradīva balāhakaḥ ||
taṃ pratyavidhyad daśabhir bhīmasenaḥ śilīmukhaiḥ ||
tvaramāṇo maheṣvāsaḥ savye pārśve mahābalaḥ ||
sa gāḍhaviddho vyathito vayovṛddhaś ca bhārata ||
pranaṣṭasaṃjñaḥ sahasā rathopastha upāviśat ||
guruṃ pravyathitaṃ dṛṣṭvā rājā duryodhanaḥ svayam ||
drauṇāyaniś ca saṃkruddhau bhīmasenam abhidrutau ||
tāv āpatantau saṃprekṣya kālāntakayamopamau ||
bhīmaseno mahābāhur gadām ādāya satvaraḥ ||
avaplutya rathāt tūrṇaṃ tasthau girir ivācalaḥ ||
samudyamya gadāṃ gurvīṃ yamadaṇḍopamāṃ raṇe ||
tam udyatagadaṃ dṛṣṭvā kailāsam iva śṛṅgiṇam ||
kauravo droṇaputraś ca sahitāv abhyadhāvatām ||
tāv āpatantau sahitau tvaritau balināṃ varau ||
abhyadhāvata vegena tvaramāṇo vṛkodaraḥ ||
tam āpatantaṃ saṃprekṣya saṃkruddhaṃ bhīmadarśanam ||
samabhyadhāvaṃs tvaritāḥ kauravāṇāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
bhāradvājamukhāḥ sarve bhīmasenajighāṃsayā ||
nānāvidhāni śastrāṇi bhīmasyorasy apātayan ||
sahitāḥ pāṇḍavaṃ sarve pīḍayantaḥ samantataḥ ||
taṃ dṛṣṭvā saṃśayaṃ prāptaṃ pīḍyamānaṃ mahāratham ||
abhimanyuprabhṛtayaḥ pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
abhyadhāvan parīpsantaḥ prāṇāṃs tyaktvā sudustyajān ||
anūpādhipatiḥ śūro bhīmasya dayitaḥ sakhā ||
nīlo nīlāmbudaprakhyaḥ saṃkruddho drauṇim abhyayāt ||
spardhate hi maheṣvāso nityaṃ droṇasutena yaḥ ||
So speaking, the mighty-armed Bharadvaja drew his great bow and struck Bhima with twenty-six arrows. Then the great warrior again swiftly covered him with arrows, as an autumn cloud covers a mountain with streams of water. In answer, mighty Bhimasena, the swift great bowman, struck him with ten sharp arrows in the left side. Grievously wounded, in pain, and already advanced in years, O Bharata, Drona suddenly lost consciousness and sank down on the floor of his chariot. Seeing the teacher stricken, King Duryodhana himself and Drona's enraged son rushed at Bhimasena. Seeing these two, like Kala, Antaka, and Yama, advancing upon him, mighty-armed Bhimasena swiftly seized his mace, leapt down from his chariot at once, and stood unmoving as a mountain. Raising in battle his heavy mace, like the rod of Yama, he seemed like Kailasa with its peak. Seeing him with his mace upraised, the Kaurava and Drona's son together rushed upon him. Vrikodara, without delay, charged to meet these two swift and mighty foremost warriors. Seeing furious, dreadful-looking Bhima advancing, the maharathas of the Kauravas, led by Bharadvaja, hastened toward him, desiring to kill Bhimasena. Together they hurled various weapons upon Bhima's chest and pressed the Pandava from every side. Seeing that this maharatha had fallen into danger and was being hard pressed, the maharathas of the Pandavas, led by Abhimanyu, rushed forward to protect him, giving up their own lives so hard to give up. Then the heroic lord of Anupa, Nila, Bhima's beloved friend, dark as a rain-cloud, in fury advanced upon Ashvatthaman, with whom this great bowman had always contended.
b60f5e175d96 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:46:25 PM UTC
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Bhima once again becomes the center of the battle's gravity: the Kauravas throw themselves at him, and for his sake the Pandavas are ready to give up their lives. Nila's friendship with Bhima is at once expressed in action — he takes upon himself Ashvatthaman, the most dangerous of the nearby foes.