Shloka 97
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
मूलपुष्पफलाहारो व्रतेषु नियमेषु च । उचिततस्त्वं वने भीम न त्वं युद्धविशारद:,“भीम! वनमें रहकर तू फल-मूल और फूल खाकर व्रत एवं नियम आदि पालन करनेके योग्य है। युद्धकौशल तुझमें नाममात्रको भी नहीं है
sañjaya uvāca | mūla-puṣpa-phala-āhāro vrateṣu niyameṣu ca | ucitatas tvaṃ vane bhīma na tvaṃ yuddha-viśāradaḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : «Bhīma, tu es fait pour vivre en forêt, te nourrissant de racines, de fleurs et de fruits, et gardant vœux et disciplines. Mais tu n’es point un maître de la guerre.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between ascetic virtues (vows, restraints, forest-dwelling) and the immediate demands of kshatriya duty in war. It suggests that virtues are context-sensitive: in a battlefield setting, courage and martial competence are treated as the relevant measure of worth, and the line uses that standard to shame an opponent.
Sanjaya reports a harsh remark directed at Bhima, portraying him as better suited to a forest life of austere observances than to the skills of combat. The statement is a provocation intended to undermine Bhima’s reputation as a formidable warrior and to unsettle him psychologically amid the war narrative of the Drona Parva.