Shloka 15
Saṃjaya’s Warning to Dhṛtarāṣṭra: Accountability, Alliance-Shift, and the Pāṇḍava Strategic Edge
यस्य भीमार्जुनौ योधौ स राजा राजसत्तम | राजाओंमें श्रेष्ठ भरतभूषण महाराज! अब तो यह सारी पृथ्वी उसीके अधिकारमें रहेगी, जिसकी ओरसे भीमसेन और अर्जुन-जैसे योद्धा लड़नेवाले होंगे। वही राजा होगा ।।
yasya bhīmārjunau yodhau sa rājā rājasattama | rājāṇāṃ śreṣṭha bharatabhūṣaṇa mahārāja! ato hi sā sarvā pṛthivī tasyaivādhikāre bhaviṣyati, yasyāpakṣe bhīmasena-arjuna-sadṛśā yoddhā yotsyante; sa eva rājā bhaviṣyati || tathā bhīma-hata-prāyāṃ majjantīṃ tava vāhinīm ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai raja yang terbaik, perhiasan wangsa Bharata! Dialah sahaja raja yang sebenar, di pihak siapa para pahlawan seperti Bhima dan Arjuna berjuang. Mulai saat ini, seluruh bumi akan jatuh di bawah kekuasaannya. Dan demikianlah bala tentera tuanku—hampir dimusnahkan oleh Bhima—sedang tenggelam.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Legitimacy in rule is portrayed as inseparable from effective support and moral-political strength: the side that commands the loyalty and prowess of exemplary warriors like Bhima and Arjuna is presented as the side destined to hold sovereignty. The verse functions as a warning that power follows capability and alignment, not mere claim.
Sanjaya addresses Dhritarashtra, forecasting that the party supported by Bhima and Arjuna will inevitably gain control of the earth. He adds an image of Dhritarashtra’s forces ‘sinking,’ nearly destroyed by Bhima—intensifying the sense of impending defeat and urging recognition of the political reality.