Shloka 29
सत्यां चिकीर्षुर्मतिमान् प्रतिज्ञां भीमो5पिबच्छोणितमस्य कोष्णम् | आस्वाद्य चास्वाद्य च वीक्षमाण: क्रुद्धों हि चैन निजगाद वाक्यम्,इसके बाद पृथ्वीपर पड़े हुए दुःशासनकी छाती फाड़कर वे उसका गरम-गरम रक्त पीनेका उपक्रम करने लगे। राजन्! उठनेकी चेष्टा करते हुए दुःशासनको पुनः गिराकर बुद्धिमान् भीमसेनने अपनी प्रतिज्ञा सत्य करनेके लिये तलवारसे आपके पुत्रका मस्तक काट डाला और उसके कुछ-कुछ गरम रक्तको वे स्वाद ले-लेकर पीने लगे। फिर क्रोधमें भरकर उसकी ओर देखते हुए इस प्रकार बोले---
satyāṃ cikīrṣur matimān pratijñāṃ bhīmo 'pibat choṇitam asya koṣṇam | āsvādya cāsvādya ca vīkṣamāṇaḥ kruddho hi cainaṃ nijagāda vākyam |
Sañjaya said: Intent on making his vow come true, the wise Bhīma drank the warm blood of him (Duḥśāsana). Tasting it again and again, and glaring at him in wrath, he then addressed him with harsh words. The scene underscores how, in the fury of war, a pledged oath can drive a warrior beyond ordinary restraints, turning victory into a grim act meant to seal a promise and strike terror into the enemy.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force of a vowed pledge (pratijñā) and how, in the extremity of war, the pursuit of fulfilling it can eclipse ordinary ethical restraint. It invites reflection on the tension between keeping one’s word and the moral degradation that anger and vengeance can produce.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma, determined to fulfill his earlier vow against Duḥśāsana, drinking Duḥśāsana’s warm blood. After repeatedly tasting it, Bhīma glares at him in fury and speaks to him, marking a climactic moment of vengeance on the battlefield.