Shloka 7
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
ऊरुग्राहगृहीतानां गदां बिभ्रद् वृकोदर: । कुरूणामृषभो युद्धे दण्डपाणिरिवान्तक:
ūrugrāha-gṛhītānāṁ gadāṁ bibhrad vṛkodaraḥ | kurūṇām ṛṣabho yuddhe daṇḍapāṇir ivāntakaḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra dit : « Vṛkodara Bhīma, taureau parmi les Kurus, portant sa massue, abattra à coup sûr mes fils au combat—pris dans son étau de cuisses—tel Yama (la Mort) lui-même tenant le bâton du châtiment. »
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral causality in the epic: obstinacy and wrongdoing invite inevitable retribution. Dhṛtarāṣṭra foresees that his sons’ stubbornness will culminate in their destruction, with Bhīma portrayed as an instrument of punitive justice akin to Yama.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra voices anxious foreboding about the coming conflict. He imagines Bhīma entering battle with his mace and overpowering the Kauravas, describing them as trapped in Bhīma’s powerful thigh-grip and slain like victims of Death wielding the rod of punishment.