Shloka 12
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 165 — Bhīṣma’s Appraisal and Karṇa’s Rebuttal (भीष्म–कर्ण विवादः)
व्यलीकं पाण्डवेयेन भीमसेनानुजेन ह । दिशो विजयता राजन् श्वेतवाहेन भारत,महाराज! ये पाँचों भाई रथी हैं और सत्यरथ उनमें प्रधान है। भारत! भीमसेनके छोटे भाई श्वेत घोड़ोंवाले पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनने दिग्विजयके समय जो त्रिगर्तोंका अप्रिय किया था, उस पहलेके वैरको याद रखते हुए ये पाँचों वीर संग्रामभूमिमें मन लगाकर युद्ध करेंगे
vyalīkaṃ pāṇḍaveyena bhīmasenānujena ha | diśo vijayatā rājan śvetavāhena bhārata ||
Bhīṣma said: “O King, O Bhārata, Arjuna—the Pāṇḍava, Bhīmasena’s younger brother, the chariot-warrior of the white steeds—once, during his conquest of the quarters, dealt the Trigartas a bitter affront. Remembering that old enmity, those warriors will enter the battlefield with steadfast purpose and fight in earnest.”
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
Past actions—especially humiliations inflicted during political conquest—create durable enmities that resurface in war; leaders must recognize how earlier choices shape later conflicts and motivations.
Bhīṣma explains to the king that Arjuna, famed for his white steeds, had earlier offended the Trigartas during a conquest tour; that remembered hostility now fuels determined participation in the coming battle.