Shloka 13
Gandhārī’s Lament for Bhūriśravas and Śakuni
Book 11, Chapter 24
बीभत्सुरतिबी भत्सं कर्मेदमकरोत् कथम् | प्रमत्तस्य यदच्छैत्सीद् बाहुं शूरस्य यज्वन:,वे कहती हैं--'अर्जुनने यह अत्यन्त घृणित कर्म कैसे किया? कि दूसरेके साथ युद्धमें लगे रहकर उनकी ओरसे असावधान हुए आप-जैसे यज्ञपरायण शूरवीरकी बाँह काट डाली
Vaiśampāyana uvāca | bībhatsur atibībhatsaṁ karmedaṁ akarot katham | pramattasya yad acchait sīd bāhuṁ śūrasya yajvanaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Mereka berkata: ‘Bagaimana Arjuna dapat melakukan perbuatan ini—begitu menjijikkan? Bagaimana dia sanggup memenggal lengan seorang pahlawan yang tekun berkorban suci, ketika orang itu sedang bertempur dengan yang lain dan seketika terleka?’”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices moral outrage at taking advantage of an opponent’s momentary inattention—especially when the opponent is already engaged elsewhere—highlighting the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with yuddha-dharma (ethical limits in war) and the tension between victory and honor.
Vaiśampāyana reports a lamenting accusation: Arjuna (called Bībhatsu) is said to have committed a highly reprehensible act by cutting off the arm of a brave, yajña-observant warrior at a moment when that warrior, fighting another, was off-guard.