Shloka 78
Kirmīra-rākṣasa-saṃgamaḥ (Encounter and Slaying of Kirmīra) | किर्मीरेण सह भीमसेनसमागमः
धिग् बल॑ भीमसेनस्य धिक् पार्थस्य च पौरुषम् | यत्र दुर्योधन: कृष्ण मुहूर्तमपि जीवति,कृष्ण! भीमसेनके बलको धिक्कार है, अर्जुनके पुरुषार्थको भी धिक्कार है, जिसके होते हुए दुर्योधन इतना बड़ा अत्याचार करके दो घड़ी भी जीवित रह रहा है
dhig balaṁ bhīmasenasya dhig pārthasya ca pauruṣam | yatra duryodhanaḥ kṛṣṇa muhūrtam api jīvati ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Kṛṣṇa! Terhinanya kekuatan Bhīmasena, terhinanya keberanian Pārtha (Arjuna), jika—selagi mereka masih hidup—Duryodhana dapat terus hidup walau sesaat pun setelah melakukan kekejaman sebesar itu.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse voices a dharmic demand for accountability: when grave wrongdoing occurs, mere strength and reputation are meaningless unless used to restrain injustice. It frames heroic power as ethically obligated—valor is judged by protection of dharma, not by capacity alone.
Vaiśaṃpāyana, narrating the events, conveys a sharp rebuke: if Bhīma and Arjuna are present, it is intolerable that Duryodhana—after perpetrating major offenses—continues to live even briefly. The line heightens the moral tension and the expectation of immediate kṣatriya response against adharma.