Shloka 226
Chapter 137: Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) Slays Somadatta; Yudhiṣṭhira Redirected from Droṇa
न भीममुखसम्प्राप्तो मुच्येदिति मतिर्मम । मेरा तो ऐसा विश्वास है कि बडवानलके मुखमें पड़ा हुआ मनुष्य शायद जीवित बच जाय; परंतु भीमसेनके सम्मुख युद्धके लिये आया हुआ कोई भी शूरमा जीवित नहीं छूट सकता
na bhīmamukhasamprāpto mucyed iti matir mama |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “It is my conviction that a man who has fallen even into the mouth of the submarine fire might somehow escape alive; but no warrior who comes to face Bhīmasena in battle can ever return living.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe inspired by extraordinary martial prowess: moral certainty here is not about salvation but about the perceived inevitability of consequences in war—some forces (like Bhīma’s wrath and strength) are viewed as more inescapable than even mythic natural terrors.
In the midst of the Drona Parva’s battle reports, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reacts to the unfolding slaughter by expressing dread and fatalism: he believes that any fighter who confronts Bhīmasena directly is doomed, emphasizing Bhīma’s terrifying effectiveness on the battlefield.