Shloka 22
Hiḍimba’s Approach and Hiḍimbā’s Warning to Bhīmasena (हिडिम्बागमनम् / हिडिम्बा-भयवचनम्)
ततः प्रत्यागते काले भिन्द्याद् घटमिवाश्मनि । अमित्रो न विमोक्तव्य: कृपणं बह्नपि ब्रुवन्
tataḥ pratyāgate kāle bhindyād ghaṭam ivāśmani | amitro na vimoktavyaḥ kṛpaṇaṃ bahn api bruvan ||
及至良机既至，当如以石击陶罐般将其击碎。仇敌不可放纵，纵使他口吐无数哀怜乞求之辞亦然——因为不合时宜、不当其处的怜悯，会使己方陷于危殆，并损坏审慎之义务。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches a hard-edged principle of nīti: when the decisive moment arrives, do not let a proven enemy escape merely because he pleads pitifully; misplaced compassion can become a failure of duty and a danger to one’s own people.
Vaiśampāyana states a counsel-like maxim within the ongoing narration: at the right time, an adversary should be decisively neutralized—illustrated by the simile of smashing a clay pot on stone—and should not be released even if he offers many lamenting words.