Shloka 28
Gāndhārī’s Lament and the Identification of Duḥśāsana (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १८)
अत्यर्थमकरोद् रौद्रं भीमसेनो<त्यमर्षण: । दुःशासनस्य यत् क्रुद्धो3पिबच्छोणितमाहवे,अत्यन्त अमर्षमें भरे हुए भीमसेनने युद्धस्थलमें क्रुद्ध होकर जो दुःशासनका रक्त पी लिया, यह बड़ा भयानक कर्म किया है
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
atyartham akarod raudraṃ bhīmaseno 'tyamarṣaṇaḥ |
duḥśāsanasya yat kruddho 'pibac choṇitam āhave ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Dikuasai amarah yang tak mengenal ampun, Bhīmasena melakukan perbuatan yang amat mengerikan—di medan laga, dalam murka, ia meminum darah Duḥśāsana. Kisah ini menandainya sebagai tindakan yang ngeri.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how unchecked anger and vengeance can push a warrior beyond accepted norms, turning even a battlefield victory into a morally horrifying act; it warns that rage dehumanizes and stains dharma.
Vaiśampāyana recounts that in the heat of battle Bhīma, burning with intense resentment, drank Duḥśāsana’s blood—an act remembered as exceptionally dreadful and emblematic of the war’s brutal extremes.