Shloka 10
Bhīma’s Entry into Kubera’s Nalinī and the Taking of Saugandhika Lotuses (सौगन्धिकोत्पल-ग्रहणम्)
धार्तराष्ट्रा निहन्तव्या यावदेतत् करोम्यहम् । शिलया नगरं वापि मर्दितव्यं मया यदि,“भारत! तुम मुझे अपना बड़ा भाई समझकर कोई वर माँगो। यदि तुम्हारी इच्छा हो कि मैं हस्तिनापुरमें जाकर तुच्छ धृतराष्ट्र-पुत्रोंकी मार डालूँ तो मैं यह भी कर सकता हूँ अथवा यदि तुम चाहो कि मैं पत्थरोंकी वर्षासे सारे नगरको रौंदकर धूलमें मिला दूँ अथवा दुर्योधनको बाँधकर अभी तुम्हारे पास ला दूँ तो यह भी कर सकता हूँ। महाबली वीर! तुम्हारी जो इच्छा हो, वही पूर्ण कर दूँगा"
vaiśampāyana uvāca | dhārtarāṣṭrā nihantavyā yāvad etat karomy aham | śilayā nagaraṃ vāpi marditavyaṃ mayā yadi |
Vaiśampāyana said: “So long as I am able to act, the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra can be slain. If you so wish, I can even crush the city with a storm of stones.” The speaker offers overwhelming force on behalf of Bhārata, presenting violent options—killing the Kauravas or devastating Hastināpura—thereby raising the ethical tension between righteous restraint and retaliatory destruction.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the moral danger of unchecked power: even when one has the strength to destroy enemies or a whole city, dharma demands discernment—distinguishing just action from wrathful excess and considering the wider harm of collective punishment.
In the Vana Parva context, a powerful ally speaks through Vaiśampāyana’s narration, offering to eliminate the Dhṛtarāṣṭras (Kauravas) or devastate their city with stones, signaling readiness to act on the Pāṇḍavas’ behalf and intensifying the conflict’s stakes.