Shloka 31
भरतश्रेष्ठ) उसने अपने महाधनुर्धर समस्त सैनिकों और योद्धाओंको रणभूमिमें इस प्रकार आदेश देते हुए कहा--“तुम सब लोग मिलकर भीमसेनको मार डालो ।। तस्मिन् हते हतं मन्ये पाण्डुसैन्यमशेषत: । प्रतिगृह्य॒ च तामाज्ञां तव पुत्रस्य पार्थिवा:
sañjaya uvāca | (bharataśreṣṭha) saḥ svān mahādhanurdharān sarvān sainikān yoddhāṃś ca raṇabhūmau evam ājñāpayām āsa— “yūyaṃ sarve saṃhatā bhīmasenaṃ jahiṣyatha | tasmin hate hataṃ manye pāṇḍusainyam aśeṣataḥ” | pratigṛhya ca tām ājñāṃ tava putrasya pārthivāḥ |
Санджая сказал: «О лучший из Бхаратов, на поле брани он отдал такой приказ всем своим могучим лучникам, воинам и ратникам: “Все вы вместе должны сразить Бхимасену. Когда он будет убит, я сочту, что войско Пандавов уничтожено целиком”. Приняв приказ твоего сына, цари (его союзники) приготовились действовать соответственно.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war-leadership often reduces a complex conflict to a single decisive target, treating the fall of a key protector (Bhima) as the collapse of an entire cause. Ethically, it shows the instrumental mindset of battle—victory pursued through eliminating pivotal individuals—raising questions about dharma when strategy is driven primarily by annihilation rather than justice.
On the battlefield, Duryodhana (referred to as ‘your son’) commands his archers and allied kings to unite and kill Bhima. He believes Bhima’s death would effectively end the Pandavas’ fighting strength. The allied rulers accept the command and move to execute it.