Shloka 16

भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः

Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination

Devanagari script

अगतीकगतीनस्मान्‌ नष्टार्थानर्थसिद्धये । कथं वै नानुपश्येयुर्जना: पश्यत यादृशम्‌,हमलोग पहले अशरण मनुष्योंको शरण देनेवाले थे; किंतु अब हमारा ही अर्थ नष्ट हो गया है। ऐसी दशामें अर्थसिद्धिके लिये हमारा आश्रय लेनेवाले लोग हमारी इस दुर्बलतापर कैसे दृष्टि नहीं डालेंगे? बन्धुओ! मेरा कथन कैसा है? इसपर विचार करो

Transliteration

agatīkagatīn asmān naṣṭārthān arthasiddhaye | kathaṃ vai nānupaśyeyur janāḥ paśyata yādṛśam |

Translation

Bhima berkata: “Dahulu kita menjadi tempat berlindung bagi mereka yang tiada tempat berlindung, menjadi ‘jalan’ bagi yang tiada jalan. Namun kini kekuatan dan tujuan kita sendiri telah musnah. Dalam keadaan begini, bagaimana mungkin orang yang mencari kejayaan dengan bersandar pada kita tidak menyedari kelemahan kita? Wahai kaum kerabat, pertimbangkan kata-kataku: apakah pendapatmu?”

Word by Word

• {'agatīka-gatīn': 'those who are a ‘way’ (refuge/recourse) for the wayless

• protectors of the helpless', 'asmān': 'us', 'naṣṭa-arthān': 'those whose artha (means, power, purpose, resources) is lost

• ruined in capacity', 'artha-siddhaye': 'for the accomplishment of aims

• for success in worldly objectives', 'katham': 'how?', 'vai': 'indeed, surely (emphatic particle)', 'na anupaśyeyuḥ': 'would not notice/observe

• would fail to perceive', 'janāḥ': 'people', 'paśyata': 'look! behold! (imperative)', 'yādṛśam': 'what sort (of state)

Speaker

भीम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhima
• kinsmen/bandhus (addressed collectively)
• people (janāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A leader’s moral authority rests on the capacity to protect and support others; when that capacity collapses, dependents inevitably perceive the weakness. The verse highlights the ethical burden of being a refuge and the shame and social consequences of losing that role.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhima laments that those who once served as shelter for the helpless are now themselves diminished. He anticipates that people who used to rely on them for achieving their aims will clearly see their present frailty, and he asks his kinsmen to reflect on his assessment.