Shloka 136
दुःशासनवधः (Duḥśāsana-vadha) — Bhīma’s vow-fulfillment in combat
प्रभिन्न इव मातड़्रो रुधिरेण परिप्लुत: । सहदेवके बाणोंसे विद्ध होकर दुर्योधन अनेक शिखरोंवाले पर्वतके समान सुशोभित हुआ। खूनसे लथपथ होकर वह मदकी धारा बहानेवाले मदमत्त हाथीके समान जान पड़ता था
sañjaya uvāca | prabhinna iva mātaṅgo rudhireṇa pariplutaḥ | sahadevakabāṇair viddho duryodhanaḥ anekaśikharavān parvata iva suśobhitah | khūnasaṃliptas sa madakīdhārāṃ vahantīva madamattaḥ hastīva babhāse |
Sañjaya berkata: Ditembusi anak panah Sahadeva, Duryodhana—berlumuran darah—tampak seperti gajah yang terluka. Walau dipanah dan disimbah merah, dia tetap menonjol di medan laga, laksana gunung berbilang puncak dalam keagungan yang menggerunkan. Darah yang mengalir dari tubuhnya membuatnya seakan gajah jantan mabuk yang melepaskan cecair musth—gambaran yang menegaskan keganasan perang dan keteguhan tekad di tengah derita.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal reality of war: even when grievously wounded, a warrior’s outward ‘splendor’ can persist, but it is a grim magnificence born of violence. It invites reflection on how pride and resolve can harden amid suffering, and how battlefield glory is inseparable from bloodshed and its moral cost.
Sanjaya describes Duryodhana after he has been pierced by Sahadeva’s arrows. Duryodhana is drenched in blood yet still appears formidable—likened to a many-peaked mountain and to a wounded, musth-elephant with fluid streaming—emphasizing his battered but imposing presence in the battle.