Shloka 40
सतं दृष्टवा विनिहतं भीमसेनात्मजेन वै । प्रतिज्ञां भीमसेनस्य पूर्णामेवाभ्यमन्यत,परंतु भीमसेनपुत्र घटोत्कचके द्वारा अलायुधको मारा गया देख उसने यह निश्चित रूपसे मान लिया कि अब भीमसेनकी प्रतिज्ञा पूरी होकर ही रहेगी
śataṁ dṛṣṭvā vinihataṁ bhīmasenātmajena vai | pratijñāṁ bhīmasenasya pūrṇām evābhyamanyata ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Śata (i.e., the foe so named) slain indeed by Bhīmasena’s son, he became convinced that Bhīmasena’s vow would now be fulfilled in full. In the moral atmosphere of the war, the fall of a key opponent is read not merely as a tactical gain but as a decisive step toward the completion of a pledged duty—an oath whose fulfillment is treated as a matter of honor and accountability amid the chaos of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of a pratijñā (solemn vow): in the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, a pledge—especially in a kṣatriya context—creates binding responsibility, and battlefield events are interpreted through the lens of whether such commitments are being honored and brought to completion.
Sañjaya reports that an opponent named Śata has been slain by Bhīma’s son (understood as Ghaṭotkaca). From this, he infers that Bhīma’s vow is effectively on track to be fully fulfilled, since the removal of this foe marks a decisive advance toward the vowed objective.