Shloka 13
Gandhārī’s Lament for Bhūriśravas and Śakuni
Book 11, Chapter 24
बीभत्सुरतिबी भत्सं कर्मेदमकरोत् कथम् | प्रमत्तस्य यदच्छैत्सीद् बाहुं शूरस्य यज्वन:,वे कहती हैं--'अर्जुनने यह अत्यन्त घृणित कर्म कैसे किया? कि दूसरेके साथ युद्धमें लगे रहकर उनकी ओरसे असावधान हुए आप-जैसे यज्ञपरायण शूरवीरकी बाँह काट डाली
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | bībhatsur atibībhatsaṁ karmedaṁ akarot katham | pramattasya yad acchait sīd bāhuṁ śūrasya yajvanaḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「彼女たちは言う――『アルジュナはどうしてこの上なく忌まわしい行いをしたのか。ほかの者と戦っていて一瞬隙を見せた、祭祀に身を捧げる勇士の腕を、どうして斬り落とせたのか』。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices moral outrage at taking advantage of an opponent’s momentary inattention—especially when the opponent is already engaged elsewhere—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with yuddha-dharma (ethical limits in war) and the tension between victory and honor.
Vaiśampāyana reports a lamenting accusation: Arjuna (called Bībhatsu) is said to have committed a highly reprehensible act by cutting off the arm of a brave, yajña-observant warrior at a moment when that warrior, fighting another, was off-guard.