Shloka 163
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
पुत्रास्ते5 भ्यर्दयन् भीम॑ दश दाशरथे: समा: । नरश्रेष्ठ) वीर बाह्लीकके मारे जानेपर श्रीरामचन्द्रजीके समान पराक्रमी आपके दस पुत्र भीमसेनको पीड़ा देने लगे
putrās te 'bhyardayan bhīmaṃ daśa dāśaratheḥ samāḥ | naraśreṣṭhā vīrā bāhlīkaṃ māre jāne para śrīrāmacandrajīke samāna-parākramī āpake daśa putrā bhīmasenako pīḍā dene lage |
Sañjaya dit : Tes dix fils—des guerriers dont la vaillance égalait celle de Rāma, fils de Daśaratha—se mirent à presser et tourmenter Bhīma. Après la mort de Bāhlīka, ils se resserrèrent autour de Bhīmasena, voulant l’accabler par une attaque collective.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare amplifies cycles of grief and vengeance: after a leader’s death, allies may resort to coordinated aggression. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether valor is best shown through fair combat or through overpowering force driven by retaliation.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Dhritarashtra’s ten sons, described as Rama-like in prowess, begin to surround and harass Bhima, especially after learning of Bahlika’s death, intensifying the battle pressure on the Pandava hero.