Shloka 19
Bhīma–Hanūmān Dialogue on Yugas (युगवर्णनम्)
सावज्ञमथ वामेन स्मयग्जग्राह पाणिना । न चाशकच्चालयितुं भीम: पुच्छे महाकपे:,ऐसा सोचकर उन्होंने बड़ी लापरवाही दिखाते और मुसकराते हुए अपने बायें हाथसे उस महाकपिकी पूँछ पकड़ी, किंतु वे उसे हिला-डुला भी न सके
sāvajñam atha vāmena smayag jagrāha pāṇinā | na cāśakac cālayituṃ bhīmaḥ pucchhe mahākapeḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, with a contemptuous air, Bhīma—smiling—seized the great ape’s tail with his left hand; yet he was unable to move it even in the slightest. The episode underscores how pride in one’s strength is checked by a higher power, and how humility becomes the doorway to right understanding.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Physical power without humility becomes arrogance; when confronted with a superior force (often divine or dharmic), pride is corrected. The scene teaches reverence, self-knowledge, and the ethical restraint that should accompany strength.
Bhīma, dismissively smiling, grabs the tail of a great ape with his left hand, intending to move it, but he cannot budge it at all—signaling that the ape’s power (and the lesson behind it) surpasses Bhīma’s confidence.