तत्र भारत भीमं तु दृष्टवन्तः स्म सायकैः ॥
समाचिततनुं संख्ये श्वाविधं शललैर् इव ॥
हेमपुङ्खाञ् शिलाधौतान् कर्णचापच्युताञ् शरान् ॥
दधार समरे वीरः स्वरश्मीन् इव भास्करः ॥
रुधिरोक्षितसर्वाङ्गो भीमसेनो व्यरोचत ॥
तपनीयनिभैः पुष्पैः पलाश इव कानने ॥
tatra bhārata bhīmaṃ tu dṛṣṭavantaḥ sma sāyakaiḥ ||
samācitatanuṃ saṃkhye śvāvidhaṃ śalalair iva ||
hemapuṅkhāñ śilādhautān karṇacāpacyutāñ śarān ||
dadhāra samare vīraḥ svaraśmīn iva bhāskaraḥ ||
rudhirokṣitasarvāṅgo bhīmaseno vyarocata ||
tapanīyanibhaiḥ puṣpaiḥ palāśa iva kānane ||
There, O descendant of Bharata, we saw Bhima with his body covered in arrows, like a porcupine with its quills. The gold-feathered arrows, whetted on stone, that had flown from Karna's bow, the hero bore in battle as the sun bears its own rays. With all his limbs bathed in blood, Bhimasena shone like a palasha tree in the forest crowned with golden-hued blossoms.
f4b8cf873c6c · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:33 PM UTC
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The wounded Bhima shines palāśa iva, like a tree flowering red, bearing the arrows svaraśmīn iva bhāskaraḥ, as the sun bears its rays: his wounds become an ornament of valor. It is telling that ordeal does not disfigure him but crowns him. The verse teaches that for the steadfast, wounds are no shame but a beauty: pierced with arrows, he shines like a tree in crimson bloom, for a spirit unshaken by blows transforms the very wound into a sign of greatness.