Shloka 136
Chapter 137: Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) Slays Somadatta; Yudhiṣṭhira Redirected from Droṇa
उद्यताशनिहस्तस्य महेन्द्रस्येव दानव: । संजय! जैसे हाथमें वज्र लिये हुए देवराज इन्द्रके सामने कोई दानव खड़ा नहीं हो सकता, उसी प्रकार भीमसेनके सम्मुख भला कौन ठहर सकता है?
udyatāśanihastasya mahendrasyeva dānavaḥ | sañjaya! yathā hastena vajraṃ dhṛtvā devarāja-indrasya sammukhe kaścid dānavaḥ sthātuṃ na śaknoti, tathā bhīmasenasya sammukhe bhalaḥ kaḥ tiṣṭhet?
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Sañjaya, just as no demon can stand before Mahendra—Indra, king of the gods—when he raises the thunderbolt in his hand, so too who could possibly hold his ground before Bhīmasena?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral-psychological force of righteous strength: when a warrior’s power is perceived as irresistible—like Indra with the vajra—opponents lose resolve. It underscores how courage, reputation, and divine imagery shape ethical and strategic realities in war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing the battle report from Sañjaya, expresses awe and anxiety by likening Bhīma’s battlefield presence to Indra armed with the thunderbolt, implying that few (if any) can withstand Bhīma in direct confrontation.