Shloka 13
भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः
Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination
यथान्न क्षुधितो लब्ध्वा न भुज्जीयाद् यदृच्छया । कामीव कामिनी लब्ध्वा कर्मेदं नस्तथोपमम्
yathānna kṣudhito labdhvā na bhuñjīyād yadṛcchayā | kāmīva kāminīṁ labdhvā karmedaṁ nastathopamam ||
Bhima dit : «Tel un affamé qui, ayant trouvé de la nourriture, par un pur hasard ne la mange pas ; ou tel un homme consumé de désir qui, ayant obtenu une femme consentante, n’en jouit pourtant pas ; ainsi notre entreprise lui ressemble : sans fruit, bien que les moyens soient déjà en nos mains».
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the painful gap between capability and fruition: even when the necessary means are obtained, outcomes can be thwarted by contingency (yadṛcchā). It invites reflection on how effort, desire, and circumstance interact, and how one should respond ethically when action becomes ‘niṣphala’ (without result).
Bhima expresses frustration that their present undertaking is failing to yield its intended result. He uses two vivid analogies—food not eaten by a hungry man, and a lover not enjoying the beloved—to stress that, despite apparent opportunity, their action is being rendered ineffective by circumstance.