Shloka 199
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
यत्रैनमन्वयाद् भीमो वायुवेगसमो जवे । चक्रे चैनं पजचशिखं यत्र भीमो महाबल:,उस समय महाबली भयंकर भीमसेनने वायुवेगसे दौड़कर उसका पीछा किया था तथा जयद्रथके सिरके सारे बाल मूँड़कर उसमें पाँच चोटियाँ रख दी थीं
yatrainam anvayād bhīmo vāyuvegāsamo jave | cakre cainaṁ pañcaśikhaṁ yatra bhīmo mahābalaḥ ||
There, mighty Bhīma—swift as the wind in his speed—ran after him. And there the great-armed Bhīma made him ‘five-tufted’: shaving off all the hair of Jayadratha’s head and leaving five locks, a humiliating mark of punishment.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights a dharmic idea of consequence: wrongdoing invites punishment, and vows made in the name of justice must be carried through. Yet the chosen penalty—public humiliation rather than immediate killing—also shows a calibrated response meant to deter and to mark disgrace, reflecting the epic’s concern with proportionality, reputation, and social order.
Bhīma, moving with wind-like speed, chases the offender (understood in context as Jayadratha) and punishes him by shaving his head and leaving five locks (pañcaśikha). This act brands him with shame and serves as a visible sign of defeat and retribution.