तद् अप्य् अस्य धनुः क्षिप्रं चिच्छेद लघुहस्तवत् ॥
द्वितीयं च तृतीयं च चतुर्थं पञ्चमं तथा ॥
आत्तम् आत्तं महाराज भीमस्य धनुर् आच्छिनत् ॥
तव पुत्रो महाराज जितकाशी मदोत्कटः ॥
स तदा छिद्यमानेषु कार्मुकेषु पुनः पुनः ॥
शक्तिं चिक्षेप समरे सर्वपारशवीं शुभाम् ॥
अप्राप्ताम् एव तां शक्तिं त्रिधा चिच्छेद कौरवः ॥
पश्यतः सर्वलोकस्य भीमस्य च महात्मनः ॥
tad apy asya dhanuḥ kṣipraṃ ciccheda laghuhastavat ||
dvitīyaṃ ca tṛtīyaṃ ca caturthaṃ pañcamaṃ tathā ||
āttam āttaṃ mahārāja bhīmasya dhanur ācchinat ||
tava putro mahārāja jitakāśī madotkaṭaḥ ||
sa tadā chidyamāneṣu kārmukeṣu punaḥ punaḥ ||
śaktiṃ cikṣepa samare sarvapāraśavīṃ śubhām ||
aprāptām eva tāṃ śaktiṃ tridhā ciccheda kauravaḥ ||
paśyataḥ sarvalokasya bhīmasya ca mahātmanaḥ ||
And that bow of his too he swiftly cut, deft-handed; and the second, and the third, the fourth and the fifth as well. Whatever bow Bhima took up, O great king, he kept cutting it down — your son, O great king, shining with victory, swollen with pride. Then, as the bows were cut again and again, he hurled into battle a javelin, all of iron, fair. That javelin, before it had even arrived, the Kaurava cut into three, before the eyes of the whole world and of great-souled Bhima.
835a73b88e35 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:49:34 PM UTC
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Duryodhana cuts Bhima's bow five times running and severs a javelin in mid-flight — "shining with victory, swollen with pride." This word is telling: pride is already mixed into the triumph, and in it lies the seed of a swift fall, for retribution follows close on the heels of arrogance. The verse teaches that even genuine skill, poisoned by pride, prepares its own ruin; a victory drunk on itself grows blind to danger, and the higher pride lifts the victor, the lower the next blow will cast him down.