Shloka 126

Chapter 137: Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) Slays Somadatta; Yudhiṣṭhira Redirected from Droṇa

Devanagari script

भीमो धनंजयान्वेषी कस्तमाच्छेज्जिजीविषु: । जो भीमसेन अकेले ही द्रोणाचार्यको मथकर धनंजयका पता लगानेके लिये मेरी सेनामें घुस आये, उनका सामना करनेके लिये जीवित रहनेकी इच्छावाला कौन पुरुष जा सकता है?

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | bhīmo dhanañjayānveṣī kastam ācchij jijīviṣuḥ |

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Bhīma, seeking Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)—who among men, still desiring to live, could possibly withstand him?” In this anxious question, the blind king measures the moral and strategic crisis of the war: Bhīma’s fearless advance, driven by loyalty to Arjuna and relentless resolve, makes ordinary self-preservation seem incompatible with confronting him.

Word by Word

भीमःBhima

धनंजय-अन्वेषीa seeker of Dhananjaya (Arjuna)

कःwho?

तम्him

आच्छेत्would cut down / would strike down

जिजीविषुःdesirous of living

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Bhīma (Bhīmasena)

Dhanañjaya (Arjuna)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how overwhelming valor and single-minded purpose can render ordinary calculations of safety irrelevant; it also reflects the psychological dimension of dharma-yuddha, where fear, duty, and loyalty collide in the minds of leaders and warriors.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra reacts to the report of Bhīma’s advance: Bhīma is pressing forward in the battle while searching for Arjuna (Dhanañjaya). The king, alarmed, asks rhetorically who would dare confront Bhīma if they still value their life.