Shloka 24
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
स युद्धे धृतिमास्थाय यत्तो युध्यस्व पाण्डवै: । तवापि शोणितं भीम: पास्यतीति मया श्रुतम्
sa yuddhe dhṛtim āsthāya yatto yudhyasva pāṇḍavaiḥ | tavāpi śoṇitaṃ bhīmaḥ pāsyatīti mayā śrutam ||
Sañjaya said: “Steady your resolve in this battle and fight with focused effort against the Pāṇḍavas. I have heard it foretold that Bhīma will drink even your blood.” The line underscores the grim moral atmosphere of the war: courage and duty are urged on one side, while the prophecy of brutal retribution signals the irreversible consequences of adharma and enmity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes kṣatriya resolve (dhṛti) and the obligation to fight with the stark warning of karmic and narrative consequence: violent choices and entrenched hostility culminate in severe retribution, reminding the listener that war magnifies the moral cost of prior adharma.
Sañjaya reports an exhortation to maintain fortitude and fight the Pāṇḍavas, while also conveying a grim prediction he has heard—that Bhīma is destined to drink the opponent’s blood—signaling escalating ferocity and an approaching, fated act of vengeance.