Shloka 14
पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानवर्णनम् / The Pāṇḍavas’ Departure for the Forest
Vidura’s Report and Portents
पितृभि: सह सालोक्यं मा सम गच्छेद् वृकोदर: । यद्येतमूरुं गदया न भिन्द्यां ते महाहवे,“दुर्योधन! यदि महासमरमें तेरी इस जाँघको मैं अपनी गदासे न तोड़ डालूँ तो मुझ भीमसेनको अपने पूर्वजोंके साथ उन्हींके समान पुण्यलोकोंकी प्राप्ति न हो”
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
pitṛbhiḥ saha sālokyaṃ mā sama gacched vṛkodaraḥ |
yady etam ūruṃ gadayā na bhindyāṃ te mahāhave |
duryodhana |
“ดุรโยธนะ! หากในมหาสงครามเรามิได้ใช้คทาทุบทำลายต้นขานี้ของเจ้าให้แหลกแล้วไซร้ ขอให้วฤโกทร (ภีมะ) มิได้ไปถึงโลกบุญอันเสมอด้วยบรรพชนของตนเถิด”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the binding force of a warrior’s vow: personal honor is tied to action, and failure is framed as forfeiting spiritual/ancestral merit. It also shows how dharma in epic narrative can be expressed through severe, retaliatory commitments rather than calm moral instruction.
In the Sabha Parva context of escalating hostility, Bhīma (Vṛkodara) declares a grim oath directed at Duryodhana: in the future great war he will break Duryodhana’s thigh with a mace, and he stakes his own posthumous blessed attainment on fulfilling that vow.