Shloka 20
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
अपृच्छद् वाष्पसंरुद्धों नि:श्वसन् वाचमीरयन् । मम प्राणै: प्रियतम: क्व भीम इति दु:खित:
apṛcchad vāṣpa-saṁruddho niḥśvasan vācam īrayan | mama prāṇaiḥ priyatamaḥ kva bhīma iti duḥkhitaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Von Tränen gewürgt, schwer atmend und mühsam die Worte formend, fragte er in Qual: „Wo ist Bhīma — mir lieber als mein eigenes Leben?“ Als er dies sagte, wurde er vom Kummer überwältigt.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war: even amid duty and battlefield resolve, intense attachment and grief arise. It implicitly contrasts heroic ideals with the vulnerability of loved ones, reminding readers that dharma in war is shadowed by sorrow and emotional consequence.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra account, a grief-stricken speaker—his voice choked with tears—asks anxiously where Bhīma is, declaring him dearer than life. Sañjaya reports this emotional moment as part of the unfolding battlefield narration.