Shloka 32
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
वीथीं कुर्वन् महाबाहुद्रावयन् मम वाहिनीम् । नृत्यन्निव गदापाणियगान्तं दर्शयिष्यति
vīthīṁ kurvan mahābāhur drāvayan mama vāhinīm | nṛtyann iva gadāpāṇir yāgāntaṁ darśayiṣyati ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : «Cet homme aux bras puissants taillera un passage à travers les rangs, mettant mon armée en déroute. Tourbillonnant en avant comme dans une danse, la massue à la main, il fera du champ de bataille l’image même de la fin des temps.»
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked conflict escalates into catastrophic suffering: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s dread of Bhīma’s power reflects the moral consequence of failed diplomacy and attachment-driven decisions that push society toward ruin.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra imagines (or foresees) Bhīma breaking into the Kaurava ranks, opening a passage for his advance, scattering the army, and moving with mace in hand so terrifyingly that the scene resembles an apocalyptic end-of-the-age vision.