Shloka 8
Bhīṣma’s Appraisal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Dharmic Rule (भीष्मोक्त-युधिष्ठिर-राजधर्म-प्रशंसा)
यथावत् पाण्जुपुत्राणां सर्वार्थेषु धृतात्मनाम् । दुर्जेया: खलु शूरास्ते दुरापास्तपसा वृता:,“इस समय जो कुछ करना है, वह खूब सोच-विचारकर शीघ्र किया जाना चाहिये। इसमें विलम्ब करना ठीक नहीं है। सभी विषयोंमें धैर्य रखनेवाले उन पाण्डवोंके निवास- स्थानका ही ठीक-ठीक पता लगाना चाहिये। वे सभी शूरवीर और तपस्यासे आवृत हैं, अतः उन्हें पाना कठिन है। पा लेनेपर भी उन्हें पहचानना तो और भी कठिन है
yathāvat pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ sarvārtheṣu dhṛtātmanām | durjeyāḥ khalu śūrās te durāpās tapasā vṛtāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Bertindaklah segera, setelah pertimbangan yang wajar, dan jangan berlengah. Keberadaan sebenar para putera Pāṇḍava—yang teguh jiwa dalam segala urusan—mesti dipastikan dengan tepat. Para wira itu memang sukar ditundukkan; diselubungi disiplin tapa (tapas), mereka sukar didekati (dan sekalipun ditemui, lebih sukar lagi dikenal pasti).”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Act with timely, well-considered urgency: delay can ruin objectives. At the same time, recognize that inner discipline (tapas) and self-mastery (dhṛtātman) make the righteous formidable and difficult to subdue or even locate—an ethical reminder that strength is not only physical but also moral and ascetic.
In the Virāṭa Parva context, the Pāṇḍavas are living incognito. The speaker underscores the need to quickly and carefully determine their exact whereabouts, noting that these heroes—protected by their discipline and resolve—are not easily found or overcome, and may be hard to recognize even if encountered.