Shloka 18
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
कि पुनर्मम दुष्पुत्रै: क्लिष्ट: सम्प्रति पाण्डव: । संजय! पाण्डुकुमार भीमसेन बचपनमें भी कभी मेरे वशमें नहीं रहा; फिर जब मेरे दुष्ट पुत्रोंने उसे बार-बार कष्ट दिया है, तब वह इस समय मेरे वशमें कैसे हो सकता है? ।।
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | ki punar mama duṣputraiḥ kliṣṭaḥ samprati pāṇḍavaḥ | sañjaya! pāṇḍukumāro bhīmasenaḥ bālye 'pi kadācin mama vaśe naivābhavat; punaś ca mama duṣṭaputraiḥ punaḥ punaḥ pīḍitaḥ san sa idānīṃ kathaṃ mama vaśo bhavet || niṣṭhuro roṣaṇo 'tyarthaṃ bhajyeta api na saṃnamet | tiryakprekṣī saṃhatabhrūḥ kathaṃ śāmyed vṛkodaraḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Bagaimana mungkin Pāṇḍava itu kini berada di bawah kendaliku, setelah ia disiksa berulang kali oleh putra-putraku yang durjana? Sañjaya, Bhīmasena putra Pāṇḍu bahkan sejak kecil tak pernah tunduk padaku; maka setelah berkali-kali ditindas oleh putra-putraku, bagaimana ia akan menyerah sekarang? Ia keras dan amat pemarah—ia boleh patah, namun takkan membungkuk. Dengan tatapan menyamping yang menusuk dan alis bertaut rapat karena murka, bagaimana Vṛkodara dapat ditenteramkan?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
Injustice and repeated harm destroy moral authority: a ruler who allows wrongdoing by his own side cannot expect the injured party to submit peacefully. The verse also highlights how unchecked anger and humiliation harden resolve, making reconciliation difficult unless wrongdoing is acknowledged and corrected.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to Sañjaya, reflecting anxiously on Bhīma’s temperament. He admits that Bhīma was never truly controllable even earlier, and that after the Kauravas’ repeated harassment, Bhīma is unlikely to be pacified or brought under Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s influence—foreshadowing the inevitability of conflict.