Shloka 156
दुःशासनवधः (Duḥśāsana-vadha) — Bhīma’s vow-fulfillment in combat
तेन यौधिष्ठिरं सैन्यमवधीत् पार्षतं तथा । दुर्योधनकी वैसी अवस्था देख उसने शीघ्र अपना अस्त्र प्रकट किया और उसीके द्वारा युधिष्ठटिरकी सेना एवं ट्रुपदपुत्रको घायल कर दिया
tena yauḍhiṣṭhiraṃ sainyam avadhīt pārṣataṃ tathā |
Disse Sañjaya: Com aquela arma ele golpeou as forças de Yudhiṣṭhira e também feriu o filho de Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna). Ao ver Duryodhana em tão perigosa condição, revelou depressa seu projétil e com ele causou dano ao exército de Yudhiṣṭhira e ao comandante pāñcāla—um ato movido pela urgência do campo de batalha, não pela contenção.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, warriors often act from urgency and loyalty to their side—deploying powerful weapons quickly when their leader is endangered. It implicitly raises the ethical tension between restraint (dharma) and the impulse to retaliate or protect one’s king at any cost.
Sañjaya reports that, using a particular weapon, the combatant strikes Yudhiṣṭhira’s forces and also harms Pārṣata’s son (Dhṛṣṭadyumna). The surrounding context indicates this action is prompted by seeing Duryodhana in a critical condition, leading to the swift manifestation and use of an astra.