Adhyāya 129 — Public Acclaim of the Pāṇḍavas and Duryodhana’s Appeal to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
यतः प्रसुप्तं मन्ये5हं भीम॑ नेति हतस्तु सः । इत्युक्ता च ततः कुन्ती धर्मराजेन धीमता,“जहाँ मैं भीमसेनको सोया हुआ समझता था, वहीं किसीने उसे मार तो नहीं डाला?! बुद्धिमान् धर्मराजके इस प्रकार पूछनेपर कुन्ती “हाय-हाय” करके घबरा उठी और युधिष्ठिससे बोली--“'बेटा! मैंने भीमको नहीं देखा है। वह मेरे पास आया ही नहीं
vaiśampāyana uvāca | yataḥ prasuptaṃ manye 'haṃ bhīma neti hataḥ tu saḥ | ity uktā ca tataḥ kuntī dharmarājena dhīmatā |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Do próprio lugar onde eu julgava que Bhīma dormia—será que alguém o matou?” Ao ouvir assim o sábio Dharmarāja, Kuntī, tomada de alarme e lamento, respondeu a Yudhiṣṭhira que não vira Bhīma e que ele não viera até ela.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Even the dharmic and composed leader must remain vigilant for the safety of dependents; concern for a brother’s welfare is presented as a righteous responsibility, not mere fear.
Yudhiṣṭhira (Dharmarāja) realizes Bhīma is not where he was expected to be and fears he may have been killed; Kuntī, alarmed, admits she has not seen Bhīma and that he did not come to her.