ततः सुतौ ते बलिनौ शूरौ दुष्कर्णदुर्मदौ ॥
मुष्टिनाहत्य संक्रुद्धो ममर्द चरणेन च ॥
ततो हाहाकृते सैन्ये दृष्ट्वा भीमं नृपाब्रुवन् ॥
रुद्रो ऽयं भीमरूपेण धार्तराष्ट्रेषु गृध्यति ॥
एवम् उक्त्वापलायन्त सर्वे भारत पार्थिवाः ॥
विसंज्ञावाहयन् वाहान् न च द्वौ सह धावतः ॥
tataḥ sutau te balinau śūrau duṣkarṇadurmadau ||
muṣṭināhatya saṃkruddho mamarda caraṇena ca ||
tato hāhākṛte sainye dṛṣṭvā bhīmaṃ nṛpābruvan ||
rudro 'yaṃ bhīmarūpeṇa dhārtarāṣṭreṣu gṛdhyati ||
evam uktvāpalāyanta sarve bhārata pārthivāḥ ||
visaṃjñāvāhayan vāhān na ca dvau saha dhāvataḥ ||
Then your two sons, the mighty, valiant Dushkarna and Durmada, he, enraged, having struck with his fist, trampled with his foot as well. Then, when the army cried "alas," having seen Bhima, the kings said: "This is Rudra in fearsome form, craving blood among the Dhartarashtras." Having said this, all the kings, o Bharata, fled, senseless, driving their mounts, and not even two ran together.
36211afa124a · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:31:38 PM UTC
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Bhima in his fury seems to be Rudra himself — the god of destruction: his terror has passed beyond the measure of man. It is telling that the kings flee in such terror that not even two stay together: fear scatters every formation. The verse teaches that valor carried to its limit inspires a godlike dread; but even that valor, turned to slaughter, is but a mirror of Rudra the destroyer — a reminder that war, however terrible, is a service rendered to death.