Shloka 24
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Dialogue on Peace and the Refusal of Compromise
यदा द्रक्ष्यसि भीमेन कुञ्जरान् विनिपातितान् । विशीर्णदन्तान् गिर्याभान् भिन्नकुम्भान् सशोणितान्
yadā drakṣyasi bhīmena kuñjarān vinipātitān | viśīrṇadantān giryābhān bhinnakumbhān saśoṇitān ||
When you behold the great elephants felled by Bhīma—mountain-like in bulk, their tusks shattered, their temples split open and drenched in blood—lying on the battlefield like broken mountains, then, seeing that sight, you will remember my words, terrified even at the very thought of coming within Bhīma’s reach.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is not a moral injunction but a rhetorical threat: it highlights how displays of overwhelming force are used to intimidate opponents and shape their resolve. Ethically, it illustrates the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the corrosive effects of pride, taunting, and fear-driven counsel.
Duryodhana, speaking in the Udyoga Parva, evokes a vivid battlefield image—Bhīma felling massive elephants with broken tusks and split temples—to warn that the addressee will later remember Duryodhana’s words in terror, even at the prospect of encountering Bhīma.