Shloka 24
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
निष्कर्णामायसी स्थूलां सुपार्श्वा काउ्चनीं गदाम् | शतघ्नीं शतनिर्हादां कथं शक्ष्यन्ति मे सुता:
niṣkarṇāmāyasīṁ sthūlāṁ supārśvāṁ kāñcanīṁ gadām | śataghnīṁ śatanirghādāṁ kathaṁ śakṣyanti me sutāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : «Comment mes fils pourront-ils supporter cette massue — de fer, pleine et lourde, bien équilibrée sur les flancs et ornée d’or — dont le fracas résonne comme des foudres répétées et qui, d’un seul coup, peut abattre des centaines ?»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unchecked attachment (putra-sneha) clouds judgment and turns into fear when one supports adharma; Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s worry highlights how violence, once unleashed, does not spare even those for whom it is undertaken.
In Udyoga Parva, as war approaches, Dhṛtarāṣṭra hears of formidable weapons and warriors; he describes a terrifying, gold-adorned iron mace and anxiously asks how his sons could endure its crushing blow.