Bhima Swears to Kill Duryodhana and Duhshasana
Provoked by Duhshasana's mockery and Duryodhana's cruel imitation of his walk, Bhima publicly swears to kill Duryodhana with a club, drink Duhshasana's blood, and assigns the deaths of Karna and Shakuni to his brothers.
Duhshasana’s words were meant to wound. He boasted among the assembled kings, mocking the defeated Pandavas. The impetuous Bhimasena heard them and suppressed his anger — but only for a moment. Like a Himalayan lion dashing at a jackal, he suddenly approached. “O cruel and evil one! You utter words that lead to failure,” he rebuked him loudly. “Just as your words pierce our hearts like arrows, I will make you remember all this when I pierce your heart in battle.”
Clad in his deerskin, Bhima uttered these angry words. He stuck to the path of dharma, but his promise was specific. “If he does not rip apart your breast and drink your blood in battle, Partha Vrikodara will not go to the worlds attained by those with good deeds.” Duhshasana showed no shame, dancing around and calling him a cow. Bhima’s response was a vow of slaughter. “In front of all the archers, I will kill the sons of Dhritarashtra in battle. I tell you truthfully that it is only after this that I will go to the abode of peace.”
The final insult came as the Pandavas were leaving the sabha (assembly hall). The evil king Duryodhana, in play and delight, sought to mimic Bhimasena’s leonine gait. Bhima half-turned his body. “O stupid one! This will not make you successful. I will soon kill you, with your relatives, and give you my response by reminding you of this.”
The powerful Bhima witnessed this insult, controlled his anger, and followed his elder brother Yudhishthira out. But before he left the assembly of Kurus, he spoke words of grave and solemn import, dividing the fates of their enemies. “I will be the slayer of Duryodhana. Dhananjaya will be the slayer of Karna. Sahadeva will kill Shakuni, the deceitful one with the dice.” He swore the gods would make it true when war came.
He specified the manner. “I will kill Suyodhana with a club in battle. I will press down his head on the ground with my foot.” And for Duhshasana, whose valour was only in his words: “I will drink his blood like the king of deer.” The vows were now public, witnessed by the Kurus and the cosmos.