Shloka 47

Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana

The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint

Devanagari script

सा वज्निष्पेषसमा प्रहिता भीमकर्मणा । ऊरू दुर्योधनस्याथ बभज्ज प्रियदर्शनी,भयंकर कर्म करनेवाले भीमसेनके द्वारा चलायी हुई वह गदा वज्रपातके समान गिरी और दुर्योधनकी सुन्दर दिखायी देनेवाली जाँघोंको उसने तोड़ दिया

Transliteration

sā vajraniṣpeṣa-samā prahitā bhīma-karmaṇā | ūrū duryodhanasyātha babhajja priya-darśanī ||

Translation

Hurled by Bhīma—whose deeds were fearsome—that mace fell like a thunderbolt. It shattered Duryodhana’s thighs, though they had been pleasing to behold. The moment underscores how, in the brutal logic of war, even what is admired in a warrior’s body becomes vulnerable to the consequences of pride, rivalry, and the hard unfolding of fate.

Word by Word

साshe/that (gadha)

वज्रनिष्पेषसमाequal to a thunderbolt-crushing (blow)

प्रहिताhurled, sent forth

भीमकर्मणाby Bhima (the doer of terrible deeds)

ऊरूthe two thighs

दुर्योधनस्यof Duryodhana

अथthen

बभञ्जbroke, shattered

प्रियदर्शनीpleasant-looking (i.e., his thighs)

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vāyudeva

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

Duryodhana

gadā (mace)

vajra (thunderbolt)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the severe consequences that unfold in war: power and pride invite decisive retaliation, and admired strength or beauty offers no protection when actions ripen into results (karma) amid the harsh demands of battle.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva describes Bhīma hurling his mace with thunderbolt-like force, striking and breaking Duryodhana’s thighs—an emphatic turning point in the climactic duel.