Shloka 31
भीमसेन उवाच दुर्योधनस्य कर्णस्य शकुनेश्न दुरात्मन: । दुःशासनचतुर्थानां भूमि: पास्यति शोणितम्
bhīmasena uvāca duryodhanasya karṇasya śakuneś ca durātmanaḥ | duḥśāsana-caturthānāṃ bhūmiḥ pāsyati śoṇitam ||
Bhīmasena said: “The earth shall drink the blood of Duryodhana, of Karṇa, of wicked-souled Śakuni, and of Duḥśāsana and his brothers.”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s moral logic of consequence: persistent adharma—humiliation, deceit, and cruelty—invites inevitable retribution. Bhīma’s oath expresses a kṣatriya ideal of answering grave injustice with decisive action, while also warning that unchecked rage and vengeance propel society toward catastrophic war.
In the Sabha Parva’s court setting, after the Kauravas’ provocations and abuses, Bhīma publicly declares a violent vow against key Kaurava figures—Duryodhana, Karṇa, Śakuni, and Duḥśāsana (with his brothers/associates). The statement functions as foreshadowing: it anticipates the later battlefield outcomes where these antagonists meet bloody ends.