Shloka 21
Gadā-yuddhe Bhīma–Duryodhanayoḥ Tumulaḥ Saṃprahāraḥ
Mace-duel’s intense exchange
प्रमाणकोट्यां पातस्य दाहस्य जतुवेश्मनि । सभायामवहासस्य सर्वस्वहरणस्यथ च
sañjaya uvāca |
pramāṇakoṭyāṃ pātasya dāhasya jatuveśmani |
sabhāyām avahāsasya sarvasvaharaṇasya ca ||
三阇耶说道：“（他追忆）被掷入普罗摩那拘底之水的奇耻，欲在漆宫中焚杀的阴谋，在王廷大会上当众受辱，以及被夺尽一切财产。此等旧创构成一场道德危机：说话者决意以报复终结自身苦难，惩治那屡次践踏亲族之义、正法与王者礼制之人。”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse gathers a catalogue of grave violations—attempted murder, arson, public dishonor, and dispossession—showing how adharma accumulates consequences. Ethically, it highlights the tension between justified accountability and the consuming pull of vengeance, a recurring Mahābhārata concern.
Sanjaya reports a character’s recollection of past atrocities: being thrown into the Pramāṇakoṭī waters, the attempt to burn him in the lac-house, ridicule in the royal assembly, and the taking of his entire wealth. These memories are invoked to justify a resolve to bring those sufferings to an end through confrontation in the war context.