Shloka 40
“यदि मैं दःशासनकी साँवली भुजाको कटकर धूलमें लोटती न देखूँ तो मेरे हृदयको क्या शान्ति मिलेगी? ।। त्रयोदश हि वर्षाणि प्रतीक्षन्त्या गतानि मे । विधाय ह्वदये मन्युं प्रदीप्तमिव पावकम्
yadi mayi duḥśāsanasya śyāmāṁ bhujāṁ kṛtvā dhūliṣu loṭantīṁ na paśyāmi, tato mama hṛdayaṁ kathaṁ śāntiṁ labheta? trayodaśa hi varṣāṇi pratīkṣantyā gatāni me, vidhāya hṛdaye manyuṁ pradīptam iva pāvakam.
“Nếu ta không thấy cánh tay sẫm màu của Duḥśāsana bị chém lìa, lăn lóc trong bụi đất, thì lòng ta sao có thể yên? Suốt mười ba năm ta đã chờ đợi, nuôi trong tim một cơn phẫn nộ cháy rực như ngọn lửa bừng bừng.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how long-nursed anger becomes a consuming inner fire, driving a person toward violent retribution. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical landscape, it warns that unresolved humiliation and hatred can eclipse peace of heart, even when framed as ‘justice’ within a warrior code.
On the eve of war in the Udyoga Parva, the speaker voices an uncompromising resolve against Duḥśāsana, expressing that only a brutal, visible punishment will bring inner peace. The line underscores the intensity of the Pandavas’ (especially Bhīma’s) remembered grievance after years of exile and waiting.