Shloka 17
स्त्रीपर्व — अध्याय १५: गान्धारी-युधिष्ठिर-संवादः
Gandhārī’s Confrontation and Consolation of Yudhiṣṭhira
हताश्चं नकुलं दृष्टवा वृषसेनेन संयुगे । 8 | सम्प्रह्ष्टानां त्रास: संजनितो मया,| वृषसेनके द्वारा नकुलके घोड़ोंको मारा गया देख जो दुःशासनके सभी भाई हर्षसे उललसित हो उठे थे, उनके मनमें वैसा करके मैंने केवल त्रास उत्पन्न किया था
hatāś ca nakulaṃ dṛṣṭvā vṛṣaseṇena saṃyuge | samprahṛṣṭānāṃ trāsaḥ saṃjanito mayā ||
Seeing Nakula struck down in battle by Vṛṣasena, I acted so as to generate fear in those who had exulted—those enemies who had risen in joy—by making them taste terror in return.
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a grim wartime ethic: when opponents rejoice at another’s fall, a warrior may respond by breaking their morale through fear. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between righteous duty and the harsh psychological realities of battle.
Bhīma says that after witnessing Nakula struck down by Vṛṣasena in combat, he retaliated not merely with force but by deliberately creating terror among the enemy who had become jubilant, aiming to check their confidence and elation.