Shloka 76
Chapter 137: Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) Slays Somadatta; Yudhiṣṭhira Redirected from Droṇa
न शक्ता: प्रमुखे स्थातुं नूनं भीमस्य संजय । संजय! अभश्व॒त्थामा, मद्रराज शल्य, कृपाचार्य और कर्ण--ये सब मिलकर भी निश्चय ही भीमके सामने नहीं ठहर सकते
na śaktāḥ pramukhe sthātuṃ nūnaṃ bhīmasya saṃjaya | saṃjaya! aśvatthāmā madrarājaḥ śalyaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ karṇaś ca—ete sarve militā api niścayaṃ bhīmasya sammukhe na tiṣṭhanti |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Surely, Saṃjaya, they are not able to stand firm in the very forefront against Bhīma. Even if Aśvatthāmā, the king of Madra—Śalya—along with Kṛpācārya and Karṇa all unite, they still cannot, with certainty, hold their ground before Bhīma.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how raw strength and moral momentum in battle can overwhelm even renowned warriors; it also shows Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxious partiality and the ethical tension of war—where confidence, fear, and reputation shape decisions as much as weapons do.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing Saṃjaya’s report of the battlefield, expresses alarm at Bhīma’s dominance. He asserts that even a coalition of famed Kaurava-side champions—Aśvatthāmā, Śalya, Kṛpa, and Karṇa—cannot withstand Bhīma in direct confrontation.