Gada (gadā)

The gada is the mace, a heavy club that is the weapon of enormously strong fighters and the specialism of Bhima, Duryodhana, Balarama and Jarasandha. Mace fighting has its own code, learned from a teacher and judged by a referee, and the one rule everyone knows is that no blow may fall below the waist. The war ends with Bhima breaking that rule on Duryodhana's thigh, at Krishna's prompting and in fulfilment of an old vow, and Balarama has to be physically restrained from killing him for it.