Shloka 4
यदीमां भवतो बुद्धि विद्याम वयमीदृशीम् । शस्त्र नैव ग्रहीष्यामो न वधिष्याम कंचन,यदि हम पहले ही जान लेते कि आपका विचार इस तरहका है तो हम हथियार नहीं उठाते और न किसीका वध ही करते
yadīmāṁ bhavato buddhiṁ vidyāṁ vayam īdṛśīm | śastrā naiva grahīṣyāmo na vadhiṣyāma kañcana ||
Bhīma said: “Had we known earlier that your judgment and understanding were of this kind, we would never have taken up weapons, nor would we have slain anyone.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability in warfare: if the guiding counsel or intention behind action is understood to be flawed or unacceptable, one should refrain from taking up arms and causing harm. It frames violence as contingent on discernment and right guidance, not as an automatic duty.
Bhīma addresses an elder or authority figure, expressing regret and reproach: had the Pāṇḍavas known earlier that the addressee’s judgment/stance was ‘such,’ they would not have taken up weapons or killed anyone. The line conveys a post-war reflection where the cost of violence is weighed against the quality of counsel and intention.