Shloka 11
Chapter 15: Counsel on Initiative vs. Renunciation in the Rajasuya Project (सभापर्व, अध्याय १५)
भीम उवाच अनारम्भपरो राजा वल्मीक इव सीदति । दुर्बलश्षानुपायेन बलिनं योडधितिष्ठति
bhīma uvāca | anārambha-paro rājā valmīka iva sīdati | durbalaḥ śānu-pāyena balinaṃ yo ’dhitiṣṭhati ||
Bhima said: “A king devoted to inaction sinks away like an anthill. Likewise, one who is weak yet, without employing proper means and strategy, sets himself against a strong opponent—such a person too comes to ruin.”
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
Bhima teaches that rulership and action require initiative and intelligent means (upāya). Inactivity destroys a king’s position, and reckless confrontation—when weak and without strategy—also leads to ruin.
In the Sabha Parva context, Bhima is delivering a pointed warning framed as political counsel: a ruler must not lapse into passivity, and one must not challenge stronger forces without prudent planning and appropriate measures.