Shloka 12
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
सिंहेन महिषस्येव कृत्वा सड्भरमुत्तमम् | दुःशासनस्य रुधिरं दिष्ट्या पीतं त्वयानघ
siṁhena mahiṣasyeva kṛtvā saḍbharam uttamam | duḥśāsanasya rudhiraṁ diṣṭyā pītaṁ tvayānagha ||
Sañjaya said: “Having made a splendid, forceful onslaught—like a lion upon a buffalo—by good fortune you have drunk the blood of Duḥśāsana, O blameless one.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim moral tension of war: vows and retribution can drive extreme acts that are praised as valor in a battlefield context, yet remain ethically disturbing. It reflects how kṣatriya duty and personal oaths can override ordinary norms, showing the cost of vengeance even when framed as ‘fortunate’ or ‘successful’ in war.
Sañjaya reports a ferocious moment in the Kurukṣetra war: the addressee (implicitly Bhīma in the broader episode) has attacked Duḥśāsana with lion-like force and, in fulfillment of a prior vow, drinks Duḥśāsana’s blood. The line is a battlefield commendation of that deed.