Shloka 8
Chapter 137: Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) Slays Somadatta; Yudhiṣṭhira Redirected from Droṇa
ते5पि चास्य महाघोरं बल॑ नागायुतोपमम्,बलसंरम्भवीर्यज्ञा: कोपयिष्यन्ति संयुगे । वे भी वायुके तुल्य तेजस्वी भीमसेनके दस हजार हाथियोंके समान अत्यन्त घोर बलको तथा उनके क्रूरतापूर्ण निश्चयको जानते हैं; उनके बल, पराक्रम और क्रोधसे परिचित हैं। ऐसी दशामें वे यम, काल और अन्तकके समान क्रूर कर्म करनेवाले भीमसेनको युद्धमें अपने ऊपर कैसे कुपित करेंगे?
te 'pi cāsya mahāghoraṃ balaṃ nāgāyutopamam | bala-saṃrambha-vīrya-jñāḥ kopayiṣyanti saṃyuge ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “They too know his exceedingly dreadful might—like that of ten thousand elephants—and they understand his fierce resolve and valor. Knowing the force of his strength, his prowess, and his wrath, how could they, in battle, provoke Bhīmasena—whose deeds are as cruel as Yama, Kāla, and Antaka—against themselves?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights prudent judgment in conflict: when an opponent’s capacity for destruction and wrath is well known, provoking him is not bravery but reckless self-harm. It underscores the ethical and strategic weight of anger in war—once unleashed, it becomes death-like and indiscriminate.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects anxiously on Bhīma’s terrifying power and temperament. He reasons that the warriors opposing Bhīma, already aware of his elephant-like strength and fierce resolve, should hesitate to enrage him in battle, since his wrath is likened to the forces of death (Yama), time-destruction (Kāla), and the Ender (Antaka).