Shloka 24
नैतावता कृतमित्यब्रवीत् त॑ वृकोदर: संनिवृत्तार्धकाय: । शीघ्रं हि त्वां निहत॑ सानुबन्ध॑ संस्मार्यहं प्रतिवक्ष्यामि मूढ
naitāvatā kṛtam ity abravīt taṃ vṛkodaraḥ saṃnivṛttārdhakāyaḥ | śīghraṃ hi tvāṃ nihataṃ sānubandhaṃ saṃsmāryāhaṃ prativakṣyāmi mūḍha ||
Dijo Vaiśaṃpāyana: Entonces Vṛkodara (Bhīma), torciendo hacia atrás la mitad de su cuerpo, le habló: «Esto no es todo lo que exige mi deber. Necio: pronto te enviaré al reino de Yama, junto con los tuyos; y recordando esta burla, te daré una respuesta completa».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral psychology of kṣatriya retribution: humiliation and adharma are not treated as isolated offenses but as debts demanding a proportionate reply. It also shows how vows and memory of insult can harden into a sense of ‘duty,’ raising ethical tension between justice and vengeance.
Vaiśaṃpāyana narrates Bhīma’s fierce retort. Bhīma, turning back in a threatening posture, declares that his task is not finished and that he will soon kill the addressed opponent along with his supporters/kin, explicitly framing it as an answer to prior mockery and wrongdoing.