Shloka 11
Bhīmasena’s Admonition to Yudhiṣṭhira on Rājya and the Ordering of Dharma–Artha–Kāma
Book 3, Chapter 34
चरेश्षेत्रो5विदित: कालमेतं युक्तो राजन् मोहयित्वा मदीयान् । ब्रवीमि सत्यं कुरुसंसदीह तवैव ता भारत पज्च नद्यः,“भरतवंशी नरेश! यदि आप सावधान रहकर इतने समयतक मेरे गुप्तचरोंको मोहित करके अज्ञात-भावसे ही विचरते रहें तो मैं यहाँ कौरवोंकी सभामें यह सत्य प्रतिज्ञा करता हूँ कि उस सारे पंचनदप्रदेशपर फिर तुम्हारा ही अधिकार होगा
careṣkṣetro ’viditaḥ kālam etaṁ yukto rājan mohayi tvā madīyān | bravīmi satyaṁ kuru-saṁsadīha tavaiva tā bhārata pañca nadyaḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira berkata: “Wahai raja keturunan Bhārata, bila engkau tetap berdisiplin dan waspada, bergerak selama masa ini dalam penyamaran tanpa dikenali serta berhasil mengacaukan para mata-mataku, maka di hadapan sidang Kuru ini aku mengikrarkan janji yang benar: kelima sungai itu—seluruh wilayah Pañcanada—akan menjadi milikmu semata, wahai Bhārata.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds satya (truthfulness) and royal self-control: a king’s disciplined conduct and the ethical weight of a public pledge made in an assembly. It also shows that political outcomes are tied to restraint, strategy, and keeping one’s word.
Yudhiṣṭhira addresses a king in the Kuru court, stating that if the king can continue to move about incognito for a set time while evading Yudhiṣṭhira’s spies, Yudhiṣṭhira will publicly affirm that the Pañcanada—land of the five rivers—will belong to that king.