Shloka 39
मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana
ततो भीमो महाबाहुरारुज्य तरसा द्रुमम् । दशव्याममथोद्विद्धं निष्पत्रमकरोत् तदा,तदनन्तर महाबाहु भीमसेनने बड़े वेगसे हिलाकर एक दस व्याम- लम्बे वृक्षको उखाड़ लिया और उसके पत्ते झाड़ दिये
tato bhīmo mahābāhur ārujya tarasā drumam | daśavyāmam athoddhṛtya niṣpatram akarot tadā ||
Then Bhīma, the mighty-armed, in a surge of force shook and tore up a tree—ten vyāmas in length—and at once stripped it of its leaves. The episode underscores how raw strength, when ungoverned by restraint, can become an instrument of intimidation; yet in the larger dharmic frame it also signals Bhīma’s role as the Pandavas’ protective power when circumstances turn hostile.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights physical power as morally ambivalent: it can protect the righteous when aligned with dharma, but it also demands restraint (dama) so that force does not become mere aggression or intimidation.
Bhīma, acting with great speed and force, uproots a very large tree and strips it of its leaves—an emphatic display of his extraordinary strength within the forest setting.