Shloka 68
Bhīmasena–Hanūmān Saṃvāda: The Tail Test and the Divine Path
मात्र प्राप्स्यति शापं वा धर्षणां वेति पाण्डव: । कदलीषण्डमध्यस्थो होवं संचिन्त्य वानर:,कदलीवनमें आय हुए पाण्डुनन्दन भीमसेनको इस मार्गपर आनेके कारण किसीसे शाप या तिरस्कार न प्राप्त हो जाय, यह विचारकर ही कपिप्रवर हनुमानजी उस वनके भीतर स्वर्गका रास्ता रोककर सो गये। उस समय उन्होंने अपने शरीरको बड़ा कर लिया था। निद्राके वशीभूत होकर जब वे जँभाई लेते और इन्द्रकी ध्वजाके समान ऊँचे तथा विशाल लंगूरको फटकारते, उस समय वज्रकी गड़गड़ाहटके समान आवाज होती थी
mātra prāpsyati śāpaṃ vā dharṣaṇāṃ veti pāṇḍavaḥ | kadalīṣaṇḍamadhyastho hovaṃ saṃcintya vānaraḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “Fearing that the Pāṇḍava might incur a curse or be subjected to insult on this path, the monkey (Hanumān), stationed amid a grove of plantain trees, reflected thus and lay down within the forest, blocking the way to heaven. He had expanded his body to a vast size; and when, overcome by sleep, he yawned and shook his lofty, massive tail—like Indra’s banner—the sound was like the rumbling of a thunderbolt.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even great strength must be guided by humility and caution: Hanumān prevents Bhīma from rushing forward into a situation that could bring moral/spiritual harm (a curse) or social-ethical harm (insult), showing protective restraint and concern for dharma.
Hanumān, in a plantain grove, deliberately lies across the route (described as the way to heaven) after enlarging his body, so that Bhīma will be checked and tested; his yawns and the shaking of his huge tail resound like thunder, emphasizing his divine, formidable presence.