Shloka 27
Droṇa’s Ācārya-Dakṣiṇā: Capture of Drupada and Division of Pāñcāla (द्रोण-आचार्यदक्षिणा)
अयं बलवतां श्रेष्ठ: कुन्तीपुत्रो वृकोदर: । मध्यम: पाण्डुपुत्राणां निकृत्या संनिगृह्मुताम्
ayaṃ balavatāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ kuntīputro vṛkodaraḥ | madhyamaḥ pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ nikṛtyā saṃnigṛhmūtām |
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Bhīma ini—putra Kuntī, bernama Vṛkodara—adalah yang terdepan di antara para kuat, meski ia putra tengah di antara anak-anak Pāṇḍu. Ia harus ditangkap dan dikurung dengan tipu daya.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly condemns adharma: when faced with superior virtue and strength, choosing deceitful confinement rather than fair conduct reveals moral failure and foreshadows harmful consequences.
A hostile plan is being formed against Bhīma, recognized as the strongest of men and the middle Pāṇḍava; the conspirators decide to capture and restrain him through treachery.