Shloka 20
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
अपृच्छद् वाष्पसंरुद्धों नि:श्वसन् वाचमीरयन् । मम प्राणै: प्रियतम: क्व भीम इति दु:खित:
apṛcchad vāṣpa-saṁruddho niḥśvasan vācam īrayan | mama prāṇaiḥ priyatamaḥ kva bhīma iti duḥkhitaḥ ||
Sañjaya thưa: Nghẹn ngào vì nước mắt, thở dốc và cố gắng thốt nên lời, chàng đau đớn hỏi: “Bhīma—người ta yêu quý hơn cả sinh mệnh—nay ở đâu?” Nói đến đó, chàng bị sầu khổ cuốn trùm.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the human cost of war: even amid duty and battlefield resolve, intense attachment and grief arise. It implicitly contrasts heroic ideals with the vulnerability of loved ones, reminding readers that dharma in war is shadowed by sorrow and emotional consequence.
In the midst of the Kurukṣetra account, a grief-stricken speaker—his voice choked with tears—asks anxiously where Bhīma is, declaring him dearer than life. Sañjaya reports this emotional moment as part of the unfolding battlefield narration.