Shloka 9
Chapter 89: Bhīma dispatched to protect Ghaṭotkaca amid escalating engagements
ततो युधिषछिरो राजा कौरव्यस्य महात्मन: । नाराचं प्रेषयामास क्रुद्ध आशीविषोपमम्
tato yudhiṣṭhiro rājā kauravyasya mahātmanaḥ | nārācaṃ preṣayāmāsa kruddha āśīviṣopamam ||
Saat itu Raja Yudhiṣṭhira yang murka melepaskan panah nārāca kepada sang Kaurava berhati luhur (Bhīṣma), laksana ular berbisa yang mematikan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between dharma and the compulsions of battle: even a righteous king may act with lethal force when fulfilling kṣatriya-duty, and anger—when it enters warfare—becomes as dangerous and swift as a venomous serpent.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, provoked in the midst of combat, shoots a nārāca missile at a Kaurava warrior described as ‘great-souled,’ using a serpent simile to stress the deadly intent and potency of the shot.