Shloka 3
धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--संजय! युद्धस्थलमें भीमसेनके द्वारा जब कौरवसेनाएँ भगा दी गयीं, तब दुर्योधन, शकुनि, विजयी वीरोंमें श्रेष्ठ कर्ण, मेरे अन्य योद्धा कृपाचार्य, कृतवर्मा, अश्व॒त्थामा अथवा दुःशासनने क्या कहा? ।। अत्यद्भुतमहं मन्ये पाण्डवेयस्य विक्रमम् | यदेक: समरे सर्वान् योधयामास मामकान्,मैं पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनका पराक्रम बड़ा अद्भुत मानता हूँ कि उन्होंने अकेले ही समरांगणमें मेरे समस्त योद्धाओंके साथ युद्ध किया
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca—sañjaya! yuddhasthale bhīmasenena yadā kauravasenāḥ palāyitāḥ, tadā duryodhanaḥ śakuniḥ vijayivīreṣu śreṣṭhaḥ karṇaḥ mama anye yoddhāḥ kṛpācāryaḥ kṛtavarmā aśvatthāmā athavā duḥśāsanaḥ kim abruvan? atyadbhutam ahaṃ manye pāṇḍaveyasya vikramam | yad ekaḥ samare sarvān yodhayāmāsa māmakān ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, when on the battlefield Bhīmasena routed the Kaurava forces, what did Duryodhana, Śakuni, Karṇa—the foremost among victorious heroes—and my other warriors, Kṛpācārya, Kṛtavarmā, Aśvatthāmā, or Duḥśāsana, say?” Sañjaya said: “I consider the prowess of Bhīma, the son of Pāṇḍu, truly astonishing—how, alone in battle, he engaged all of your warriors.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights extraordinary personal valor and the awe it inspires even in opponents. Ethically, it also reveals Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s possessive framing (“my warriors”) and his dependence on reports, contrasting attachment and partiality with the stark reality of merit displayed on the battlefield.
After Bhīma drives the Kaurava forces into retreat, Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya what Duryodhana and key Kaurava champions said in response. Sañjaya remarks that Bhīma’s feat is astonishing because he fought all of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s warriors alone.