Shloka 23
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
इति बाल्ये श्रुतः पूर्व मया व्यासमुखात् पुरा । रूपतो वीर्यतश्चैव याथातथ्येन पाण्डव:,अमर्षी नित्यसंरब्धो भीम: प्रहरतां वर: । मया तात प्रतीपानि कुर्वन् पूर्व विमानित: तात संजय! सदा क्रोधमें भरा रहनेवाला अमर्षशील भीमसेन प्रहार करनेवाले योद्धाओंमें सबसे श्रेष्ठ है। मेरे पुत्रोंक प्रतिकूल आचरण करते समय मैंने पहले कई बार उसका अपमान किया है
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | iti bālye śrutaḥ pūrvaṃ mayā vyāsamukhāt purā | rūpato vīryataś caiva yāthātathyena pāṇḍavaḥ | amarṣī nityasaṃrabdho bhīmaḥ praharatāṃ varaḥ | mayā tāta pratīpāni kurvan pūrva-vimānitaḥ | tāta sañjaya! sadā krodham-eṃ bharā rahanevālā amarṣaśīla bhīmasena prahār karanevāle yoddhāoṃ meṃ sabse śreṣṭha hai | mere putroṃ ke pratikūl ācaraṇ karte samay maiṃne pahle kaī bār usakā apamān kiyā hai |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Thus, long ago in my childhood I heard from the mouth of Vyāsa the true account of the Pāṇḍava—his form and his strength as they really are. Bhīma, intolerant of insult and ever quick to anger, is the foremost among those who strike in battle. And I, dear Sañjaya, when he acted against my sons, had earlier humiliated him many times.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how repeated humiliation and disregard for another’s dignity can harden resentment and intensify anger, especially in a powerful person. Dhṛtarāṣṭra implicitly recognizes a moral and political failure: by insulting Bhīma when he opposed the Kauravas, he helped deepen enmity and invited dangerous consequences.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra tells Sañjaya that he had earlier heard from Vyāsa an accurate description of the Pāṇḍavas’ true strength, focusing on Bhīma’s formidable nature as the best of attackers. He then admits that he had previously humiliated Bhīma when Bhīma acted against Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, acknowledging Bhīma’s enduring anger and the peril it poses.