Shloka 34
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
कुर्वन् रथान् विपुरुषान् विसारथिहयध्वजान् । आरुज न् पुरुषव्याप्रो रथिन: सादिनस्तथा
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
kurvan rathān vipuruṣān visārathihayadhvajān |
ārujan puruṣavyāpro rathinaḥ sādinastathā, sañjaya |
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai Sañjaya, Bhīma, sang harimau di antara manusia, akan berjuang habis-habisan dan membuat kereta-kereta perang menjadi tanpa penunggang—tanpa sais, tanpa kuda, tanpa panji; ia akan mematahkan anggota dan daya tempur para kesatria kereta serta para penunggang kuda. Seperti arus Gaṅgā yang meluap di dataran berair mencabut dan membinasakan aneka pepohonan di tepiannya, demikianlah Bhīma, memasuki medan laga, akan memusnahkan bala tentara putra-putraku.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the moral psychology of impending war: when adharma-driven choices harden into conflict, even the powerful cannot escape the consequences. Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s fear reflects awareness that injustice toward the Pāṇḍavas will invite overwhelming retribution, embodied in Bhīma’s unstoppable force.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, speaking to Sañjaya, predicts Bhīma’s battlefield devastation—chariots left empty of fighters and stripped of charioteer, horses, and banner, with chariot-warriors and cavalry broken. He reinforces the prediction with a simile: Bhīma’s onslaught will be like the rising Gaṅgā uprooting riverside trees.