Shloka 17
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 73 — Kr̥ṣṇa’s Appraisal of Bhīma’s Altered Temper and Reaffirmation of Martial Resolve
शमश्न नन्दिवेगानामित्येते कुलपांसना: । युगान्ते कृष्ण सम्भूता: कुले कुपुरुषाधमा:
śamaśna nandivegānām ity ete kulapāṃsanāḥ | yugānte kṛṣṇa-sambhūtāḥ kule kupuruṣādhamāḥ ||
Bhima berkata: “Śamaśna dari garis Nandivega dan orang-orang sepertinya—mereka adalah abu dan aib bagi klan mereka. Pada akhir suatu zaman, ketika tatanan dharma runtuh, orang-orang hina semacam ini lahir dalam berbagai wangsa raja, seakan muncul dari kegelapan, membawa kehancuran dan pertikaian saudara. Sebagaimana pada masa guncangan dharma dahulu timbul perselisihan dahsyat di antara para Asura yang perkasa dan menyala-nyala, demikian pula para Kṣatriya rendah ini muncul pada saat yugānta dalam dinasti-dinasti berbeda, menjadi sebab kemerosotan dan konflik.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
When dharma collapses, destructive and unethical leaders arise even within respected dynasties; lineage alone does not guarantee virtue, and society must recognize and resist ‘kulapāṃsanāḥ’—those who disgrace their clans by ignoble conduct.
Bhīma is denouncing certain Kṣatriyas by portraying them as end-of-age manifestations of moral darkness, comparing their emergence and the resulting turmoil to a legendary outbreak of violent discord among powerful Asuras during a crisis of dharma.