Shloka 40
Duryodhana-vadha-pratikriyā: Harṣa, Nindā, and Kṛṣṇa’s Nīti-vyākhyā (Śalya-parva 60)
इत्युक्तो वासुदेवेन भीमप्रियहितैषिणा । अन्वमोदत तत् सर्व यद् भीमेन कृतं युधि
ity ukto vāsudevena bhīmapriyahitaiṣiṇā | anvamodata tat sarvaṃ yad bhīmena kṛtaṃ yudhi ||
三阇耶曰：婆苏提婆——一心为毗摩谋其所爱与其利者——既如此言，坚战便尽皆允可，赞同毗摩在战场上所行的一切。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights ethical accountability in war: Kṛṣṇa’s guidance is portrayed as benevolent concern for Bhīma’s welfare, and Yudhiṣṭhira’s assent shows that even harsh battlefield actions are weighed, interpreted, and consciously endorsed (or rejected) within a dharmic framework rather than treated as mere impulse.
After Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) speaks—motivated by what is dear and beneficial to Bhīma—Yudhiṣṭhira responds by approving everything Bhīma had done in the fighting. Sañjaya reports this approval as a key reaction that situates Bhīma’s deed within the Pandava camp’s moral and strategic understanding.