Shloka 19
वैशम्पायन उवाच एवं ब्रुवाणमजिनैर्विवासितं दुःशासनस्तं परिनृत्यति सम । मध्ये कुरूणां धर्मनिबद्धमार्ग गौर्गौरिति स्माह्दयन् मुक्तलज्ज:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: evaṃ bruvāṇam ajinair vivāsitaṃ duḥśāsanas taṃ parinṛtyati sma | madhye kurūṇāṃ dharma-nibaddha-mārgaṃ gaur gaur iti smāhvayan mukta-lajjaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Oh Janamejaya, al ver a Bhīmasena—cubierto con pieles de ciervo y hablando así—el desvergonzado Duḥśāsana empezó a danzar en burla entre los Kurus, ridiculizándolo y gritando: “¡Oh buey! ¡Oh buey!”. Pero el ímpetu de Bhīma fue contenido por Dharma-rāja Yudhiṣṭhira en el sendero del dharma; de otro modo, Bhīma no habría dejado con vida a Duḥśāsana».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharma as restraint under provocation: even when insulted publicly, Bhīma’s impulse toward immediate violent retaliation is checked by Yudhiṣṭhira’s commitment to righteous conduct and strategic patience.
In the Kuru court, Duḥśāsana shamelessly mocks Bhīma—who is described as wearing deerskins—by dancing and calling him ‘ox.’ Bhīma is prevented from acting on his anger because Yudhiṣṭhira holds him back on the grounds of dharma.