Shloka 23
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
दक्षिणं मण्डलं सव्यं गोमूत्रकम थापि च । व्यचरत् पाण्डवो राजन्नरिं सम्मोहयज्निव,राजन! पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेन आपके पुत्रको मोहित करते हुए-से दक्षिण, वाम और गोमूत्रक मण्डलसे विचरने लगे
dakṣiṇaṁ maṇḍalaṁ savyaṁ gomūtrakaṁ tathāpi ca | vyacarat pāṇḍavo rājann ariṁ sammohayan niva ||
Vāyu said: “O King, the Pāṇḍava (Bhīmasena), as though bewildering the enemy, moved about employing the rightward circle, the leftward circle, and also the ‘gomūtraka’ (cow-urine) maneuver—circling and feinting so as to confuse your son in battle.”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that in righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma), victory is not only a matter of strength but also of disciplined technique and presence of mind—using controlled movement and feints to unsettle an opponent rather than relying on brute force alone.
Vāyudeva describes Bhīma’s battlefield movement: he circles to the right and left and uses the ‘gomūtraka’ maneuver, creating deceptive, winding motion to confuse the enemy—specifically Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (Duryodhana).