Shloka 163
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
पुत्रास्ते5 भ्यर्दयन् भीम॑ दश दाशरथे: समा: । नरश्रेष्ठ) वीर बाह्लीकके मारे जानेपर श्रीरामचन्द्रजीके समान पराक्रमी आपके दस पुत्र भीमसेनको पीड़ा देने लगे
putrās te 'bhyardayan bhīmaṃ daśa dāśaratheḥ samāḥ | naraśreṣṭhā vīrā bāhlīkaṃ māre jāne para śrīrāmacandrajīke samāna-parākramī āpake daśa putrā bhīmasenako pīḍā dene lage |
Sanjaya said: Your ten sons—warriors equal in prowess to Daśaratha’s son (Rama)—began to press and torment Bhima. In the wake of Bāhlīka’s death, they closed in upon Bhimasena, seeking to overwhelm him through collective assault, a grim reminder of how, in war, valor is often tested not only by single combat but by coordinated aggression driven by grief and vengeance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare amplifies cycles of grief and vengeance: after a leader’s death, allies may resort to coordinated aggression. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether valor is best shown through fair combat or through overpowering force driven by retaliation.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Dhritarashtra’s ten sons, described as Rama-like in prowess, begin to surround and harass Bhima, especially after learning of Bahlika’s death, intensifying the battle pressure on the Pandava hero.