Shloka 9
Somadatta’s Kṣātra-Dharma Accusation; Night Combat, Māyā, and the Fall of Ghaṭotkaca
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 131
भीमवद्ले: प्रदीप्तस्य मम पुत्रान् दिधक्षत: | के शूरा: पर्यवर्तन्त तन््ममाचक्ष्व संजय,संजय! मेरे पुत्रोंको दग्ध करनेकी इच्छासे प्रज्वयलित हुए भीमरूपी अग्निदेवके सामने कौन-कौन शूरवीर डटे रह सके, यह मुझे बताओ
bhīmavahneḥ pradīptasya mama putrān didhakṣataḥ | ke śūrāḥ paryavartanta tan mamācakṣva sañjaya ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Apabila Bhīma—laksana api yang marak menyala—bergelora dengan niat membakar hangus anak-anakku, siapakah para pahlawan yang mampu bertahan di hadapannya? Beritahukan kepadaku, wahai Sañjaya.”
धघतयाट्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked hostility and the momentum of war turn a warrior into a ‘fire’ that consumes opponents; it also reflects the moral weight of consequences—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s attachment to his sons meets the reality of karmic fallout on the battlefield.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra questions Sañjaya about the battlefield situation: Bhīma is raging with the intent to destroy the Kauravas, and Dhṛtarāṣṭra anxiously asks which warriors managed to face and withstand Bhīma’s onslaught.