Shloka 50
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
शशाप तत्र भीमस्तु राजमध्ये बृहत्स्वन: । क्रोधाद् विस्फुरमाणौष्ठो विनिष्पिष्य करे करम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | śaśāpa tatra bhīmas tu rājamadhye bṛhatsvanaḥ | krodhād visphuramāṇauṣṭho viniṣpiṣya kare karam ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Kemudian, di tengah-tengah para raja yang berhimpun, Bhīma mengucapkan sumpah dengan suara menggelegar; bibirnya bergetar kerana murka, sambil menggenggam dan menggesekkan tangan yang satu pada yang lain. Adegan ini menandakan suatu keretakan moral di hadapan umum: kemarahan orang benar terhadap penghinaan, dan tekad untuk menjawab adharma dengan sumpah pembalasan yang kelak membentuk haluan peperangan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When adharma is enacted publicly, moral conscience is also publicly tested: silence becomes complicity, while righteous indignation seeks restoration of justice. Yet the verse also warns that anger, even when provoked by injustice, can crystallize into vows that propel society toward violent reckoning.
In the royal assembly, Bhīma—overwhelmed by anger—makes a fierce imprecation/vow, signaled by his thunderous voice and the gesture of grinding hand against hand. It is a turning point where outrage at humiliation becomes a declared resolve for future retribution.