अध्याय १ — न्यग्रोधवनोपवेशनम् तथा द्रौणिनिश्चयः
Night at the Banyan and Drauṇi’s Resolve
वृकोदरेण क्षुद्रेण सुनुशंसमिदं कृतम् । मूर्धाभिषिक्तस्य शिर: पादेन परिमृदूनता,“एक मूर्धाभिषिक्त सम्राट्के मस्तकपर लात मारते हुए नीच भीमसेनने यह बड़ा ही क्रूरतापूर्ण कार्य कर डाला है
vṛkodareṇa kṣudreṇa sūnuśaṃsam idaṃ kṛtam | mūrdhābhiṣiktasya śiraḥ pādena parimṛdūnatā ||
সঞ্জয়ে ক’লে—এই নীচ বৃকোদৰে (ভীমে) অতি নিষ্ঠুৰ এই কৰ্ম কৰিলে; মূর্ধাভিষিক্ত ৰজাৰ মস্তক পায়েৰে মাড়ি চেপি চূৰ্ণ কৰিলে।
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights that in war, wrongdoing is not only measured by killing but also by intentional dishonor—especially against a consecrated ruler. It frames such humiliation as a grave ethical breach, intensifying the sense of adharma through contempt and cruelty.
Sañjaya reports an act attributed to Vṛkodara (Bhīma): he tramples and crushes with his foot the head of a ‘mūrdhābhiṣikta’—a king who had undergone royal consecration—presenting it as a shocking and cruel deed.