Shloka 5
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
ततो5भिजग्मु: पञ्चालान् निध्नन्तस्ते नरर्षभा: । ममृदुस्तस्य नगर द्रुपदस्य महौजस:
tato 'bhijagmuḥ pañcālān nidhnaṃtas te nararṣabhāḥ | mamṛdus tasya nagaraṃ drupadasya mahaujasaḥ ||
Alors ces hommes, tels des taureaux parmi les mortels, marchèrent sur les Pañcālas en les abattant. Ils écrasèrent la cité du puissant Drupada, image d’une conquête menée par la seule force.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the pursuit of victory and retaliation in royal conflicts can lead to disproportionate harm—warriors’ rivalry results in the devastation of an entire city, raising an ethical warning about the wider consequences of kṣatriya ambition and enmity.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that a group of heroic men marched against the Pañcālas, killing as they went, and devastated the city belonging to the powerful king Drupada.