Shloka 40
स गत्वा पाण्डुपुत्रेण तरसा बाहुशालिना । अनायुधेन वीरेण निहत: कि ततो5धिकम्,परंतु अपनी भुजाओंसे सुशोभित होनेवाले वीर पाण्डुपुत्र भीमने वेगपूर्वक वहाँ जाकर बिना किसी अस्त्र-शस्त्रके ही उस जरासंधको यमलोक पहुँचा दिया, इससे बढ़कर पराक्रम और क्या होगा?
sa gatvā pāṇḍuputreṇa tarasā bāhuśālinā | anāyudhena vīreṇa nihataḥ kiṃ tato 'dhikam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “That Jarāsandha was swiftly approached and slain by the heroic son of Pāṇḍu—Bhīma—whose arms were his ornament. Unarmed and relying on sheer strength, he sent him to the realm of Yama. What greater feat of valor could there be than this?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights extraordinary valor grounded in personal strength and resolve: true heroism is not merely in possessing weapons but in courage, capability, and decisive action. It also implicitly raises the kṣatriya ideal of prowess while inviting reflection on the ethics of lethal force even when unarmed.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra recalls (or hears of) Jarāsandha’s death: Bhīma, a Pāṇḍava, rushed to him and killed him without using weapons, relying on his powerful arms. Dhṛtarāṣṭra frames this as an unsurpassed act of prowess.