Shloka 4
Duryodhana-patana-anuśocana
The Fall of Duryodhana and the Contest of Restraint
भीमसेनस्तु धर्मेण युद्धयमानो न जेष्यति । अन्यायेन तु युध्यन् वै हन्यादेव सुयोधनम्,यदि भीमसेन धर्मपूर्वक युद्ध करते रहे तो कदापि नहीं जीतेंगे और अन्यायपूर्वक युद्ध करनेपर निश्चय ही दुर्योधनका वध कर डालेंगे
bhīmasenas tu dharmeṇa yuddhayamāno na jeṣyati | anyāyena tu yudhyan vai hanyād eva suyodhanam |
Vāyu-deva said: “If Bhīmasena continues to fight strictly within the bounds of dharma, he will not be able to win. But if he fights by transgressing those bounds—by an unrighteous stratagem—then he will surely strike down Suyodhana (Duryodhana).”
वायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension central to the epic: strict adherence to dharma in warfare may not always secure victory against an opponent perceived as adharma-driven, while victory achieved through anyāya (unrighteous means) carries ethical weight. It frames the coming act as a morally charged choice between rule-bound combat and outcome-driven transgression.
Vāyu-deva, Bhīma’s divine father, speaks about the decisive confrontation with Suyodhana (Duryodhana). He predicts that if Bhīma fights only by accepted rules, he will not prevail; but if Bhīma resorts to an unrighteous method, he will certainly be able to kill Duryodhana—foreshadowing the controversial manner of Duryodhana’s defeat.