Shloka 27
Gāndhārī’s Lament and the Identification of Duḥśāsana (स्त्रीपर्व, अध्याय १८)
एष दुःशासन: शेते विक्षिप्य विपुलौ भुजौ । निहतो भीमसेनेन सिंहेनेव महागज:,सिंहके मारे हुए विशाल हाथीके समान भीमसेनका मारा हुआ यह दु:शासन दोनों विशाल हाथ फैलाये रणभूमिमें पड़ा हुआ है
eṣa duḥśāsanaḥ śete vikṣipya vipulau bhujau | nihato bhīmasenena siṃhen eva mahāgajaḥ ||
വൈശമ്പായനൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഇവിടെ ദുഃശാസനൻ കിടക്കുന്നു—തന്റെ രണ്ടു വിശാല ഭുജങ്ങളും ചിതറിച്ചിട്ട്; ഭീമസേനൻ അവനെ സിംഹം മഹാഗജത്തെ വീഴ്ത്തുന്നതുപോലെ വധിച്ചു.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents the battlefield as a moral ledger: wrongdoing (adharma) culminates in ruin, and the fall of a notorious offender is portrayed as a fitting, almost natural, consequence—symbolized by the lion overpowering the elephant.
Vaiśampāyana describes Duḥśāsana’s corpse on the battlefield, arms spread out, emphasizing that he has been killed by Bhīmasena. The simile compares Duḥśāsana to a huge elephant felled by a lion, highlighting Bhīma’s overpowering force and the finality of Duḥśāsana’s end.