Shloka 25
सुरभि–इन्द्रसंवादः
Surabhi–Indra Dialogue as a Governance Exemplar
जघान पशुमारेण व्याघ्र: क्षुद्रमूगं यथा । पश्य दिग्विजये राजन् यथा भीमेन पातितः,यहाँसे रातमें जब वे महात्मा पाण्डव चले जा रहे थे, उस समय उनका मार्ग रोककर भयंकर और पर्वतके समान विशालकाय किर्मीर उनके सामने खड़ा हो गया। युद्धकी श्लाघा रखनेवाले बलवानोंमें श्रेष्ठ भीमसेनने उस राक्षसको बलपूर्वक पकड़कर पशुकी तरह वैसे ही मार डाला, जैसे व्याप्र छोटे मृगको मार डालता है। राजन्! देखो, दिग्विजयके समय भीमसेनने उस महान धनुर्धर राजा जरासंधको भी युद्धमें मार गिराया, जिसमें दस हजार हाथियोंका बल था। (यह भी स्मरण रखना चाहिये कि) वसुदेवनन्दन भगवान् श्रीकृष्ण उनके सम्बन्धी हैं तथा द्रपदके सभी पुत्र उनके साले हैं
maitreya uvāca | jaghāna paśumāreṇa vyāghraḥ kṣudramṛgaṃ yathā | paśya digvijaye rājan yathā bhīmena pātitaḥ |
Maitreya said: “He slew him with brute force, just as a tiger kills a small deer. And behold, O King: in the campaign of conquest too, Bhīma struck down (his foe) in battle.” The verse underscores Bhīma’s overwhelming strength and fearlessness, presenting his violence not as wanton cruelty but as protective, warrior-like force deployed against dangerous adversaries, thereby reinforcing the Pandavas’ capacity to overcome threats during their exile and beyond.
मैत्रेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Bhīma’s destructive power as purposeful and protective: when confronting dangerous opponents, a kṣatriya’s force can be ethically situated as defense of order rather than mere cruelty—strength is to be used decisively against threats.
Maitreya praises Bhīma by recalling how he slew an adversary with overwhelming force, likening it to a tiger killing a small deer, and then points to Bhīma’s proven capacity in the earlier ‘digvijaya’ (campaign of conquest) where he also felled formidable foes.