Shloka 72
मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana
भीमबाहुबलोप्पिष्टे विनष्टे राक्षसे ततः । विविशुस्ते वन॑ वीरा: क्षेमं निहतकण्टकम्,भीमसेनके बाहुबलसे पिसकर जब वह राक्षस नष्ट हो गया, तब उस अकण्टक एवं कल्याणमय वनमें उन सभी वीरोंने प्रवेश किया
bhīmabāhubaloppiṣṭe vinaṣṭe rākṣase tataḥ | viviśus te vanaṃ vīrāḥ kṣemaṃ nihatakaṇṭakam ||
Nang madurog at mapuksa ang rākṣasa sa lakas ng mga bisig ni Bhīma, pumasok ang mga bayaning iyon sa gubat—na ngayo’y ligtas, walang “tinik” (ibig sabihi’y panganib), isang pook ng kaginhawahan.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys that when a harmful aggressor is removed, the path becomes 'nihata-kaṇṭaka'—free of thorns—so that the righteous may proceed in safety (kṣema). It frames strength as ethically meaningful when used to eliminate threats and restore communal well-being.
After Bhīma crushes and destroys a rākṣasa with his arm-strength, the heroes enter the forest, now described as safe and unobstructed—no longer troubled by the 'thorn' of that menace.