Shloka 7
स्त्रीपर्व — गान्धारीविलापः
Strī Parva — Gāndhārī’s Lament over the Fallen
एष संग्रामशूरेण प्रतिज्ञां पालयिष्यता । दुर्मुखो5भिमुख: शेते हतोडरिगणहा रणे,जो शत्रुसमूहोंका संहार करनेवाला था, वह दुर्मुख प्रतिज्ञा पालन करनेवाले संग्राम-शूर भीमसेनके हाथों मारा जाकर समरमें सम्मुख सो रहा है
eṣa saṅgrāmaśūreṇa pratijñāṁ pālayiṣyatā | durmukho 'bhimukhaḥ śete hato 'rigaṇahā raṇe ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Here lies Durmukha, fallen in the battle—slain face-to-face by the war-hero who was determined to keep his vow. Though he had been a destroyer of hosts of enemies, he now rests on the battlefield, brought down by Bhīmasena’s pledge-bound resolve. The verse underscores how, in war, prowess and slaughter are finally checked by another’s steadfast commitment to a declared duty.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of pratijñā (a solemn vow): a warrior’s resolve to uphold his pledged duty becomes a decisive moral force, even against one famed for killing enemy hosts. It frames victory not merely as strength, but as steadfast adherence to one’s declared commitment within the kṣatriya code.
Vaiśampāyana points out Durmukha lying dead on the battlefield, killed in direct combat by Bhīmasena, who is described as a battle-hero intent on fulfilling his vow. The scene is part of the post-war lamentation context of the Strī Parva, where the fallen are identified and their ends recalled.