Shloka 12
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproof and Vow-Logic: On Dice-Deception, Exile Terms, and the Governance of Anger
Adhyāya 35
अयं च पार्थो बीभत्सुर्वरिष्ठो ज्याविकर्षणे | आस्ते परमसंतप्तो नूनं सिंह इवाशये,ये हमारे भाई अर्जुन धनुषकी प्रत्यंचा खींचनेमें सबसे श्रेष्ठ हैं; परंतु ये भी निश्चय ही अपनी मगुफामें दुःखी होकर बैठे हुए सिंहकी भाँति सदा अत्यन्त संतप्त होते रहते हैं
ayaṃ ca pārtho bībhatsur variṣṭho jyāvikarṣaṇe | āste paramasaṃtaptō nūnaṃ siṃha ivāśaye ||
And this Pārtha—Bībhatsu—who is foremost in drawing the bowstring, sits in deep anguish, surely like a lion in its lair. Bhīma points to Arjuna’s restrained power: though supremely capable, he remains inwardly tormented, suggesting a moral tension between strength and the suffering that comes from exile, loss, and the burden of duty.
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Great capability does not erase suffering; a righteous warrior may endure intense inner heat while restraining himself until the proper time for action. The verse highlights the ethical weight of duty and the pain of enforced inaction.
Bhīma draws attention to Arjuna, praising his unmatched skill in archery while observing that he sits deeply distressed—likened to a lion in its den—suggesting pent-up power and sorrow during the hardships of the forest exile.