Shloka 38
Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ
Mace-duel’s intense exchange
कि कत्थनेन बहुना युध्यस्व त्वं वृकोदर । अद्य तेडहं विनेष्यामि युद्धअ्रद्धां कुलाधम
kiṁ katthanena bahunā yudhyasva tvaṁ vṛkodara | adya te 'haṁ vineṣyāmi yuddhaśraddhāṁ kulādhama ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Was nützt all dieses Prahlen, o Vṛkodara? Kämpfe mit mir. Du Schande deines Geschlechts—heute werde ich deinen Kampfesmut vernichten.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield dynamic: psychological warfare through taunts aims to destabilize an opponent’s courage (yuddhaśraddhā). Ethically, it contrasts external bravado and insult with the inner steadiness expected of a disciplined warrior.
In the Shalya Parva war setting, a speaker challenges Bhīma (Vṛkodara) to stop boasting and engage directly in combat, threatening to crush his fighting confidence and hurling the insult “kulādhama.”