Shloka 18
Bhīma–Hanūmān Dialogue on Yugas (युगवर्णनम्)
पुच्छे प्रगृह्दा तरसा हीनवीर्यपराक्रमम् । सालोक्यमन्तकस्यैनं नयाम्यद्येह वानरम्,और भीतर-ही-भीतर यह संकल्प किया कि “आज मैं इस बल और पराक्रमसे शून्य वानरको वेगपूर्वक इसकी पूँछ पकड़कर यमराजके लोकमें भेज देता हूँ
pucche pragṛhītā tarasā hīna-vīrya-parākramam | sālokyam antakasya enam nayāmi adya iha vānarām ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Seizing him swiftly by the tail, he resolved inwardly, “Today, right here, I shall send this monkey—bereft of strength and valor—to the realm of Antaka (Yama), to share the same world as Death.” The line conveys a surge of wrath and the intent to punish through lethal force, highlighting how anger can eclipse restraint and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how anger and contempt can drive a person toward disproportionate, lethal punishment. Ethically, it warns that abandoning restraint (dama) and discernment (viveka) leads to adharma—treating another being as powerless and therefore expendable.
A speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) describes someone forcefully grabbing a monkey by its tail and forming an inner resolve to send it to Yama’s realm—i.e., to kill it—because it is seen as lacking strength and valor.