Shloka 6
पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानवर्णनम् / The Pāṇḍavas’ Departure for the Forest
Vidura’s Report and Portents
वैशम्पायन उवाच तद् वै श्रुत्वा भीमसेनो त्यमर्षी भृशं निशश्वास तदा5अ$र्तरूप: । राजानुगो धर्मपाशानुबद्धो दहन्निवैनं क्रोधसंरक्तदृष्टि:
vaiśampāyana uvāca | tad vai śrutvā bhīmaseno 'tyamarṣī bhṛśaṃ niśaśvāsa tadā 'rtarūpaḥ | rājānugo dharmapāśānubaddho dahann ivainaṃ krodhasaṃraktadṛṣṭiḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Hearing that, Bhīmasena—seething with intolerant anger—heaved deep, repeated sighs, his face contorted with pain. Yet, as a follower of King Yudhiṣṭhira, he remained bound by the noose of dharma. His eyes, reddened by wrath, he spoke as though scorching Yudhiṣṭhira with his words.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between righteous restraint (dharma) and the natural surge of anger in the face of perceived wrong. Bhīma’s fury is intense, yet he remains constrained by loyalty to Yudhiṣṭhira and by dharma, showing that moral duty can bind even the strongest impulses.
After hearing a provoking statement or report, Bhīma becomes visibly distressed and enraged—sighing heavily, eyes reddened. Even so, he does not act freely; as Yudhiṣṭhira’s follower, he is held back by dharma. He then begins to speak in a manner that feels ‘burning,’ directed toward Yudhiṣṭhira.