Shloka 3
भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः
Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination
क्षमानुकम्पा कारुण्यमानृशंस्यं न विद्यते । क्षात्रमाचरतो मार्गमपि बन्धोस्त्वदन्तरे
kṣamānukampā kāruṇyam ānṛśaṃsyaṃ na vidyate | kṣātram ācarato mārgam api bandhos tvad-antare ||
क्षत्रियोचित मार्ग पर चलनेवाले पुरुष के हृदय में अपने बन्धु के प्रति भी क्षमा, दया, करुणा और कोमलता नहीं रहती; फिर आपके हृदय में यह सब क्यों है?
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension within kṣatriya-dharma: the warrior’s path tends to harden the heart, pushing aside forgiveness and compassion even toward relatives; Bhīma questions why such soft virtues still persist in the listener’s heart, implying an ethical debate between duty and humane restraint.
Bhīma addresses another person (implicitly his brother/kinsman) and argues from the standpoint of warrior conduct: since a kṣatriya must act decisively and without softness even toward kin, he challenges the presence of compassion in the other’s heart, pressing for a stance consistent with martial duty.