Shloka 18
धृतराष्ट्रस्य उपालम्भः तथा पाण्डव-समाश्वासनम् | Dhṛtarāṣṭra Reproved and the Pāṇḍavas Consoled
नागायुतबलप्राण: स राजा भीममायसम् | भड़्क्त्वा विमथितोरस्क: सुस्राव रुधिरं मुखात्,राजा धृतराष्ट्रमें दस हजार हाथियोंका बल था तो भी भीमकी लोहमयी प्रतिमाको तोड़कर उनकी छाती व्यथित हो गयी और मुहसे खून निकलने लगा
nāgāyutabalaprāṇaḥ sa rājā bhīmamāyasam | bhaṅktvā vimathitoraskaḥ susrāva rudhiraṃ mukhāt ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Though the king’s strength was said to equal that of ten thousand elephants, when he shattered Bhīma’s iron effigy his chest was violently strained, and blood flowed from his mouth. The episode underscores how prideful displays of force and the urge to prove power can recoil upon the doer, bringing bodily harm and moral disquiet amid the grief of war.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even immense power cannot protect one from the consequences of uncontrolled emotion and pride. Attempts to assert dominance through violent display can rebound physically and ethically, especially in the fragile moral atmosphere after a devastating war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, famed for strength likened to ten thousand elephants, strikes and breaks an iron effigy associated with Bhīma; the exertion and shock strain his chest, and blood comes from his mouth—an ominous sign of inner turmoil and the dangerous force of his anger.