Shloka 283
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproof and Vow-Logic: On Dice-Deception, Exile Terms, and the Governance of Anger
Adhyāya 35
नाज्ञातचर्या पश्यामि मेरोरिव निगूहनम् | महाराज! मुझे भी प्रजावर्गके बच्चेतक पहचानते हैं, जैसे मेरुपर्वतको छिपाना असम्भव है, उसी प्रकार मुझे अपनी अज्ञातचर्या भी सम्भव नहीं दिखायी देती
nā-jñātacaryā paśyāmi meror iva nigūhanam | mahārāja! mām api prajā-vargaḥ bāla-paryantaṃ prajānāti; yathā meru-parvataṃ nigūhayitum aśakyaṃ, tathā mama ajñātacaryāpi sambhavā na pratibhāti ||
Bhimasena berkata— “Wahai Maharaja! Aku tidak melihat bagaimana hidup dalam penyamaran mungkin bagiku—menyembunyikannya sama seperti mencoba menyembunyikan Gunung Meru. Bahkan rakyat jelata, sampai anak-anak sekalipun, mengenaliku. Sebagaimana Meru tak dapat disembunyikan, demikian pula hidup incognito tidak tampak mungkin bagiku.”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights practical dharma: one must choose strategies aligned with one’s nature and circumstances. For a well-known, powerful figure like Bhīma, secrecy is unrealistic; ethical action includes honest assessment of feasibility rather than wishful planning.
During the forest-exile context, Bhīma addresses a king (mahārāja) and expresses that living unrecognized is not workable for him, since even ordinary people and children can identify him—making concealment as impossible as hiding Mount Meru.