Shloka 9
गन्धमादन-हिमवत्प्रयाणे युधिष्ठिर-भीमसंवादः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Bhīma Dialogue on the Gandhamādana–Himavat Ascent
तव चाप्यरतिस्तीव्रा वर्तते तमपश्यत: । गुडाकेशं महात्मान संग्रामेष्वपपलायिनम्,संग्राममें कभी पीठ न दिखानेवाले निद्राविजयी महात्मा अर्जुनको न देखनेके कारण आपके मनमें भी अत्यन्त खिन्नता हो रही है
tava cāpy aratis tīvrā vartate tam apaśyataḥ | guḍākeśaṃ mahātmānaṃ saṃgrāmeṣv apapalāyinam ||
അവനെ കാണാതിരുന്നതിനാൽ നിനക്കും കഠിനമായ ദുഃഖം പിടിപെട്ടിരിക്കുന്നു—ഗുഡാകേശനായ മഹാത്മാവ് അർജുനനെ; യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ഒരിക്കലും പിൻതിരിഞ്ഞ് ഓടാത്തവനെ.
भीम उवाच
Educational Q&A
True martial virtue is steadiness: a dhārmic warrior does not abandon the field out of fear. Bhīma frames Arjuna’s defining quality as unwavering courage, and shows how the absence of such a person causes legitimate anxiety—because dharma in crisis depends on reliable, principled strength.
Bhīma addresses his listener and observes that they are deeply troubled because Arjuna is not present. He identifies Arjuna by the epithet Guḍākeśa and praises him as great-souled and never-fleeing in battle, implying that his absence is both emotionally painful and strategically alarming.