Yudhiṣṭhira’s Reproof and Vow-Logic: On Dice-Deception, Exile Terms, and the Governance of Anger
Adhyāya 35
नकुल: सहदेवश्न कथं पार्थ चरिष्यत: । कुन्तीकुमार! ये दोनों भाई बालक नकुल-सहदेव सिंहके समान पराक्रमी हैं। ये दोनों कैसे छिपकर विचर सकेंगे?
nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca kathaṃ pārtha cariṣyataḥ | kuntīkumarau—yau dvau bhrātarau bālakau nakula-sahadevau siṃhasamānau parākramī | etau kathaṃ channaṃ vicariṣyataḥ ||
Bhīmasena said: “O Pārtha, how will Nakula and Sahadeva manage to move about (in concealment)? O sons of Kuntī—those two younger brothers, Nakula and Sahadeva, are lion-like in valor. How can such men possibly wander about while remaining hidden?”
भीमसेन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical tension between kṣatriya valor and the discipline of restraint: true strength includes the capacity to remain inconspicuous and follow a difficult vow or strategy when dharma and circumstance require it.
Bhīma, speaking to Arjuna (Pārtha), expresses concern about whether the visibly heroic twins, Nakula and Sahadeva, can realistically live and move about in concealment, given their lion-like prowess and temperament.