Shloka 85
प्रतिबुद्धस्तु कौन्तेय: सर्वान् सर्पानपो थयत् । सारथिं चास्य दयितमपहस्तेन जध्निवान्,जागनेपर कुन्तीनन्दन भीमने सब सर्पोंको उठा-उठाकर पटक दिया। दुर्योधनने भीमसेनके प्रिय सारथिको भी उलटे हाथसे मार डाला
pratibuddhas tu kaunteyaḥ sarvān sarpān apothayat | sārathiṁ cāsya dayitam apahastena jahnivān ||
When the son of Kuntī awoke, he violently struck down all the serpents. He also killed his beloved charioteer with a backhand blow. The episode underscores how, once roused, Bhīma’s strength becomes swift and uncompromising, and how sudden violence in a hostile encounter can extend even to valued attendants, intensifying the moral tension of retaliation and excess.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical volatility of anger and sudden retaliation: once roused, immense power can become indiscriminate, escalating harm beyond the immediate threat. It invites reflection on restraint (dama) and proportional response even amid danger.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the Kaunteya, upon waking, strikes down all the serpents and also kills a beloved charioteer with a backhand blow, portraying a rapid, forceful turn in the encounter and its grim consequences.