Shloka 20
Adhyāya 129 — Public Acclaim of the Pāṇḍavas and Duryodhana’s Appeal to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
ततोड्ष्टमे तु दिवसे प्रत्यबुध्यत पाण्डव: । तस्मिंस्तदा रसे जीर्णे सो5प्रमेयबलो बली,उधर, नागलोकमें सोये हुए बलवान् भीमसेन आठवें दिन, जब वह रस पच गया, जगे। उस समय उनके बलकी कोई सीमा नहीं रही
tato ’ṣṭame tu divase pratyabudhyata pāṇḍavaḥ | tasmiṃs tadā rase jīrṇe so ’prameyabalo balī ||
Then, on the eighth day, the Pāṇḍava awoke. When, by that time, the potent essence he had consumed was fully digested, he—mighty and heroic—found his strength to be beyond measure. The episode underscores how extraordinary power, when gained through unusual means, is framed as a providential endowment that must later be governed by restraint and dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary power is portrayed as a consequential gift; its ethical value depends on how it is later directed—toward protection, self-control, and dharma rather than pride or harm.
Bhīma (referred to as the Pāṇḍava) regains consciousness on the eighth day; after the strengthening essence he had taken is digested, his physical power becomes immeasurable.