Shloka 22
Śālva’s Elephant Assault and the Counterstroke (शाल्वस्य नागारूढाभ्यवहारः)
यत् कृतं भीमसेनेन दुःशासनवधे तदा । नान्य: कर्तास्ति लोके5स्मिनृते भीमान्महाबलात्,“दुःशासनके वधके समय भीमसेनने जो कुछ किया था, उसे महाबली भीमसेनके सिवा इस संसारमें दूसरा कोई नहीं कर सकता
yat kṛtaṃ bhīmasenena duḥśāsanavadhe tadā | nānyaḥ kartāsti loke 'smin ṛte bhīmān mahābalāt ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Apa yang dilakukan oleh Bhīmasena pada waktu itu, ketika membunuh Duḥśāsana—tiada seorang pun di dunia ini mampu melakukannya, selain Bhīma yang berlengan perkasa dan berkuasa mahahebat.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the extraordinary, singular agency of Bhīma in executing a deed tied to long-standing moral outrage and wartime retribution, highlighting how certain acts—especially those charged with intense ethical and emotional weight—are portrayed as possible only for a uniquely capable individual.
Sañjaya, narrating events of the war, recalls Bhīma’s actions during the killing of Duḥśāsana and asserts that no one else in the world could have carried out what Bhīma did at that moment, emphasizing Bhīma’s unmatched strength and ferocity.