Shloka 19
युधिष्ठिरस्य धनंजय-प्रति गर्हा
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproach to Dhanaṃjaya
ततः पूर्णायतोत्कृष्टं यमदण्डनिभं शरम् | मुमोच त्वरितो राजा सूतपुत्रजिघांसया,तत्पश्चात् राजा युधिष्ठिरने सूतपुत्रको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे तुरंत ही धनुषको पूर्णरूपसे खींचकर वह यमदण्डके समान बाण उसके ऊपर छोड़ दिया
tataḥ pūrṇāyatotkṛṣṭaṃ yamadaṇḍanibhaṃ śaram | mumoca tvarito rājā sūtaputrajighāṃsayā ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian raja, dengan tergesa-gesa dan berniat membunuh putera sais kereta, menarik busurnya sepenuh-penuhnya lalu melepaskan sebatang anak panah unggul—mengerikan laksana tongkat Yama—yang diarahkan kepadanya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pressure of war: even a ruler associated with dharma may act with swift, lethal intent when duty and survival demand it. It invites reflection on how intention (jighāṃsā—desire to kill) shapes the moral weight of action, even when performed within the accepted framework of battlefield duty.
Sañjaya reports that Yudhiṣṭhira, seeking to kill Karṇa (called ‘sūtaputra’), quickly draws his bow to the full and shoots a powerful arrow likened to Yama’s staff, emphasizing the deadly seriousness of the exchange.