Shloka 17
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
सुयोधनस्य गदया भडद्भक्तास्म्यूरू महाहवे । इति पूर्व प्रतिज्ञातं भीमेन हि सभातले,“मैं समझता हूँ कि इस जगत्में अपनी प्रतिज्ञाका पालन करना क्षत्रियके लिये धर्म ही है। पहले सभामें भीमसेनने यह प्रतिज्ञा की थी कि “मैं महायुद्धमें अपनी गदासे दुर्योधनकी दोनों जाँघें तोड़ डालूँगा”
sañjaya uvāca |
suyodhanasya gadayā bhagnabhaktāsy ūrū mahāhave |
iti pūrvaṃ pratijñātaṃ bhīmena hi sabhātale ||
三阇耶说道：“在这场大决战中，毗摩早先曾在王廷大会上立誓：‘我将以铁棒（gadā）击碎苏约陀那（都利约陀那）的双腿（双股）。’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal that a publicly made vow (pratijñā) must be upheld as a matter of dharma. It frames Bhima’s later act not as a sudden impulse but as the fulfillment of a solemn pledge, emphasizing accountability and the moral weight of one’s word.
Sanjaya reminds Dhritarashtra that Bhima had earlier, in the assembly hall, vowed to break Duryodhana’s thighs with his mace in the great war. The line functions as a narrative recall, linking the present battlefield outcome to an earlier courtly humiliation and its promised retribution.