Shloka 46
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
सृत्या वज्चयतो राजन पुनरेवोत्पतिष्यत: । ऊरुभ्यां प्राहिणोद् राजन् गदां वेगेन पाण्डव:,भीमसेन समझ गये कि राजा दुर्योधन क्या करना चाहता है। अतः पैंतरेसे छलने और ऊपर उछलनेकी इच्छावाले दुर्योधनके ऊपर आक्रमण करके भीमसेनने सिंहके समान गर्जना की और उसकी जाँघोंपर बड़े वेगसे गदा चलायी
sṛtyā vañcayato rājan punar evotpatīṣyataḥ | ūrubhyāṁ prāhiṇod rājan gadāṁ vegena pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Vāyu said: “O King, as he sought to deceive with a feint and was about to spring up again, the Pāṇḍava, with great force, hurled his mace toward his thighs.” In the grim ethics of single combat, the moment marks a decisive turn: Bhīma reads Duryodhana’s evasive tactic and answers with a targeted, overpowering strike that will end the duel, even as it raises questions about the propriety of aiming below the waist.
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between victory and righteous conduct in war: tactical deception invites a forceful counter, yet the chosen target (the thighs) evokes debate about adherence to the accepted rules of mace-dueling and the moral cost of decisive violence.
During the climactic mace duel, Duryodhana attempts to evade through a feint and prepares to leap again; Bhīma anticipates this and launches a powerful mace-blow aimed at Duryodhana’s thighs, a turning point that effectively decides the contest.