Shloka 31
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ५४: दुर्योधनस्य धृतराष्ट्रं प्रति बलप्रशंसन-युक्तः आश्वासनवादः
Duryodhana’s Reassurance and Force-Praise to Dhritarashtra
समर्थ मन्यसे यच्च कुन्तीपुत्रं वृकोदरम् । तन्मिथ्या न हि मे कृत्स्नं प्रभावं वेत्सि भारत,भारत! आप जो कुन्तीकुमार भीमको बहुत शक्तिशाली मान रहे हैं, वह भी मिथ्या ही है; क्योंकि आप मेरे प्रभावको पूर्णरूपसे नहीं जानते हैं
samarthaṃ manyase yac ca kuntīputraṃ vṛkodaram | tan mithyā na hi me kṛtsnaṃ prabhāvaṃ vetsi bhārata bhārata ||
Duryodhana said: “If you think Kuntī’s son Vṛkodara (Bhīma) is truly formidable, that judgment is mistaken. For you do not yet know the full extent of my power, O Bhārata.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride and overconfidence distort judgment: Duryodhana rejects a fair assessment of Bhīma’s strength and insists others do not understand his own ‘prabhāva’. Ethically, it illustrates the self-deception that sustains adharma—refusing to recognize reality and merit, thereby escalating conflict.
In Udyoga Parva, as tensions rise toward the Kurukṣetra war, Duryodhana responds to an evaluation that Bhīma is a formidable force. He counters by belittling that assessment and asserting that the listener does not know the full extent of his own power and influence.