Shloka 11
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
उद्वेपते मे हृदयं ये मे दुर्योधनादय: । बाल्ये5पि तेन युध्यन्तो वारणेनेव मर्दिता:
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | udvepate me hṛdayaṃ ye me duryodhanādayaḥ | bālye 'pi tena yudhyanto vāraṇeneva marditāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : « Mon cœur tremble quand je pense à lui. Même dans l’enfance, chaque fois que mes fils — Duryodhana et les autres — se querellaient et luttaient avec lui pour jouer, il les écrasait et les dominait tel un éléphant puissant. »
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked power and past injuries breed fear and insecurity: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxiety arises from recognizing Bhīma’s overwhelming strength and the long-standing hostility between the cousins, suggesting that unresolved childhood enmity can mature into catastrophic war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the Pandava (implicitly Bhīma) whose might terrified the Kauravas even in childhood; he recalls how Duryodhana and his brothers were repeatedly overpowered, foreshadowing the imbalance of force that haunts the Kuru court.