Shloka 3
Book 10, Adhyāya 12: Aśvatthāmā’s Request for the Cakra and the Brahmaśiras Context
भीम: प्रियस्ते सर्वेभ्यो भ्रातृभ्यो भरतर्षभ । त॑ कृच्छुगतमद्य त्वं कस्मान्नाभ्युपपद्यसे
bhīmaḥ priyaste sarvebhyo bhrātṛbhyo bharatarṣabha | taṁ kṛcchugataṁ adya tvaṁ kasmān nābhyupapadyase ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O bull among the Bharatas, Bhīma is dear to you above all your brothers. Now that he has fallen into distress, why do you not go to his aid?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Affection and kinship imply responsibility: when a loved one is in distress, one should not remain passive but should step forward to support and protect, aligning personal feeling with dharmic duty.
The narrator frames an appeal to a Bharata hero: since Bhīma is especially dear to him and is presently in hardship, the addressee is questioned for not approaching to assist—highlighting urgency and the moral expectation of fraternal aid amid crisis.