Shloka 8
Bhīmasena’s Discourse on Kāla, Resolve, and the Feasibility of Ajñātavāsa (भीमसेनस्य कालोपदेशः)
यत् तु केवलचापल्याद् बलदर्पोत्थित: स्वयम् । आरब्धव्यमिदं कार्य मन्यसे शृणु तत्र मे,तुम स्वयं बलके घमण्डसे उन्मत्त हो जो केवल चपलतावश स्वयं इस युद्धरूपी कार्यको अभी आरम्भ करनेके योग्य मान रहे हो, उसके विषयमें मेरी बात सुनो
yat tu kevalacāpalyād baladarpotthitaḥ svayam | ārabdhavyam idaṁ kāryaṁ manyase śṛṇu tatra me ||
But if, out of mere fickleness—your mind stirred up by pride in strength—you yourself think that this task, this war, ought to be begun at once, then listen to what I have to say about it.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Yudhiṣṭhira cautions that initiating a violent undertaking from impulsiveness and pride in strength is ethically suspect; one should pause, listen to counsel, and act from dharma rather than from rash bravado.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses another party who is eager to begin the conflict immediately, attributing that eagerness to fickleness and strength-born arrogance, and asks them to hear his considered view before acting.