ताडिता भीमसेनेन शल्यस्य महती गदा ॥
साग्निज्वाला महारौद्रा गदाचूर्णम् अशीर्यत ॥
तथैव भीमसेनस्य द्विषताभिहता गदा ॥
वर्षाप्रदोषे खद्योतैर् वृतो वृक्ष इवाबभौ ॥
गदा क्षिप्ता तु समरे मद्रराजेन भारत ॥
व्योम संदीपयाना सा ससृजे पावकं बहु ॥
तथैव भीमसेनेन द्विषते प्रेषिता गदा ॥
तापयाम् आस तत् सैन्यं महोल्का पतती यथा ॥
tāḍitā bhīmasenena śalyasya mahatī gadā ||
sāgnijvālā mahāraudrā gadācūrṇam aśīryata ||
tathaiva bhīmasenasya dviṣatābhihatā gadā ||
varṣāpradoṣe khadyotair vṛto vṛkṣa ivābabhau ||
gadā kṣiptā tu samare madrarājena bhārata ||
vyoma saṃdīpayānā sā sasṛje pāvakaṃ bahu ||
tathaiva bhīmasenena dviṣate preṣitā gadā ||
tāpayām āsa tat sainyaṃ maholkā patatī yathā ||
Struck by Bhimasena, Shalya's enormous mace, all in tongues of flame, most terrible, crumbled into mace-dust. Likewise Bhimasena's mace, struck by the blow of his foe, shone like a tree enveloped by a swarm of fireflies in the rainy twilight. The mace hurled in battle by the king of Madra [Shalya], O Bharata, illuminating the sky, poured forth an abundance of fire. Likewise the mace sent by Bhimasena at his foe scorched that army as a great falling bolide.
1b4effba0c07 · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:00:04 PM UTC
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The clash of the maces strikes fire, and the weapon hurled in battle is likened to a falling star illuminating the sky: the fury of the fight reaches such a measure that an earthly act echoes in the heavens. But the image of a "tree in fireflies in the rainy twilight," set among these terrible comparisons, brings an unexpected beauty — even in the thick of slaughter the tale beholds something lovely. The verse teaches that supreme exertion of force strikes light, as flint strikes a spark; that even in the most terrible there is a glimmer of beauty, visible to a pure eye; and that might turned to collision brings forth not creation but a glow of destruction, lighting up both sky and earth.