Shloka 3
Drupada’s Putrakāmeṣṭi: The Sacrificial Birth of Dhṛṣṭadyumna and Kṛṣṇā
वधाभिप्रायमायान्तमवधीस्त्वं महाबलम् । रक्षसस्तस्य भगिनी कि नः क्रुद्धा करिष्यति,महाबली हिडिम्ब हमलोगोंको मारनेके अभिप्रायसे आ रहा था। अतः तुमने जो उसका वध किया, वह उचित ही है। उस राक्षसकी बहिन हिडिम्बा यदि क्रोध भी करे तो हमारा क्या कर लेगी?
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca |
vadhābhiprāyam āyāntam avadhīs tvaṃ mahābalam |
rākṣasas tasya bhaginī ki naḥ kruddhā kariṣyati ||
Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ce rākṣasa d’une force immense venait avec l’intention de nous tuer ; c’est pourquoi l’avoir abattu était pleinement légitime. Quant à sa sœur Hiḍimbā — quand bien même la colère la saisirait, que pourrait-elle réellement nous faire ?»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames violence within a dharmic boundary: when an aggressor approaches with clear intent to kill, resisting and even slaying him is justified as protection. It also shows a leader’s role in calming fear by assessing threats rationally rather than reacting with panic.
After the rākṣasa Hiḍimba is slain (by Bhīma in the surrounding episode), Yudhiṣṭhira affirms that the act was right because Hiḍimba came intending to kill them. He then downplays the danger from Hiḍimbā, Hiḍimba’s sister, even if she becomes angry.