Shloka 1063
कर्णेन युधिष्ठिरानीकविदारणम् / Karṇa’s Breach of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Battle-Line
पीडितानां बलवता रुद्रेणाद्भुतकर्मणा । राजन्! आपका कल्याण हो। तभीसे बैलोंके दो खुर हो गये और तभीसे अद्भुत कर्म करनेवाले बलवान रुद्रके द्वारा पीड़ित हुए घोड़ोंके स्तन नहीं उगे
pīḍitānāṃ balavatā rudreṇādbhuta-karmaṇā | rājan, āpaka kalyāṇa ho | tatas eva balānāṃ dvau khurau jātau, tatas eva adbhuta-karmaṇā balavatā rudreṇa pīḍitānāṃ aśvānāṃ stanā na jajñire |
Bhīṣma said: “O King, may welfare be yours. From that very time the bulls came to have two hooves; and from that very time, the horses—having been afflicted by mighty Rudra of wondrous deeds—did not develop udders.”
पितामह उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores Rudra’s overwhelming, world-shaping power: divine action can establish enduring features of the natural order. It also frames the narration with a benediction to the king, implying that hearing and remembering such accounts is tied to auspiciousness and right orientation toward cosmic authority.
Bhīṣma addresses the king and explains an etiological consequence attributed to Rudra: from that moment onward bulls are said to have two hooves, and horses—having been afflicted by Rudra—do not develop udders. The statement functions as a mythic explanation for observed animal characteristics.