Shloka 8
Bhīma–Duryodhana Gadāyuddha Saṃkalpa
Resolve for the Mace Duel
श्रुत्वा स कटुका वाचो विषमस्थो नराधिप: । दीर्घमुष्णं च नि:श्वस्य सलिलस्थ: पुन: पुन:
śrutvā sa kaṭukā vāco viṣamastho narādhipaḥ | dīrgham uṣṇaṃ ca niḥśvasya salilasthaḥ punaḥ punaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als der König jene harten Worte vernahm—in eine gefährliche Lage geraten—stieß er immer wieder lange, heiße Seufzer aus, als wäre er im Wasser versunken, überwältigt und ringend, sich zu fassen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Harsh speech has immediate moral and psychological consequences: it can wound, destabilize judgment, and deepen suffering—especially in moments of crisis—so restraint and responsibility in speech are ethically significant.
Sañjaya narrates that the king, after hearing bitter words, becomes inwardly shaken; he repeatedly exhales long, burning sighs, portrayed with the vivid simile of someone submerged in water—overwhelmed and struggling under the weight of events.