Shloka 35
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
गड्जावेग इवानूपांस्तीरजान् विविधान् टद्रुमान् | प्रभड्क्ष्यति रणे सेनां पुत्राणां मम संजय,संजय! वह पुरुषसिंह भीम रथोंको रथी, सारथि, अश्व तथा ध्वजाओंसे शून्य कर देगा एवं रथियों और घुड़सवारोंके अंग-भंग कर डालेगा। जैसे गंगाजीका बढ़ता हुआ वेग जलमय प्रदेशमें स्थित हुए नाना प्रकारके तटवर्ती वृक्षोंको गिराकर नष्ट कर देता है, उसी प्रकार भीम युद्धभूमिमें आकर मेरे पुत्रोंकी सेनाका संहार कर डालेगा
gaṅgāvega ivānūpāṁs tīrajān vividhāṁs tarūn | prabhaṅkṣyati raṇe senāṁ putrāṇāṁ mama sañjaya sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, Sañjaya! In battle that lion among men, Bhīma, will shatter the army of my sons. He will leave their chariots stripped—bereft of charioteers, horses, and banners—and he will break the limbs and fighting power of the chariot-warriors and horsemen. Just as the surging force of the Gaṅgā, swelling across a watery lowland, uproots and destroys the many kinds of trees along the banks, so will Bhīma come onto the battlefield and bring my sons’ host to ruin.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and psychological cost of adharma-driven conflict: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s attachment to his sons turns into dread as he foresees inevitable devastation. It underscores how unchecked ambition and refusal to reconcile can culminate in overwhelming, unstoppable consequences—symbolized by Bhīma’s force likened to the Gaṅgā’s flood.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to Sañjaya, envisioning the coming war’s carnage. He predicts that Bhīma will crush the Kaurava forces, disabling chariots and fighters, using a vivid comparison to the Gaṅgā’s surging current uprooting riverside trees.