Shloka 253
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproof and Vow-Logic: On Dice-Deception, Exile Terms, and the Governance of Anger
Adhyāya 35
हस्ती श्वेत इवाज्ञात: कथं जिष्णुश्नरिष्यति । जहाँ जलकी अधिकता हो, ऐसे प्रदेशमें शाखा, पुष्प और पत्तोंसे सुशोभित विशाल शालवृक्षके समान अथवा श्वेत गजराज ऐरावतके सदृश ये अर्जुन कहीं भी अज्ञात कैसे रह सकेंगे?
Bhīmasena uvāca — hastī śveta ivājñātaḥ kathaṁ jiṣṇur na riṣyati?
Bhīmasena said: “Like a white elephant, how could Jiṣṇu (Arjuna) remain unknown and unnoticed? In any land—especially one rich in water—he would stand out, splendid like a vast śāla tree adorned with branches, blossoms, and leaves, or like the white lord of elephants, Airāvata. How, then, could Arjuna possibly pass as unrecognized?”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Extraordinary qualities and fame are difficult to conceal; prudence in strategy requires acknowledging how visible a renowned person becomes, even when attempting secrecy.
Bhīma comments on the impracticality of keeping Arjuna hidden or unknown, using vivid similes (a white elephant, a majestic śāla tree, Airāvata) to stress that Arjuna’s presence would inevitably be recognized.