Shloka 27
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
संयुगं ये गमिष्यन्ति नररूपेण मृत्युना । नियतं चोदिता धात्रा सिंहेनेव महामृगा:
saṃyugaṃ ye gamiṣyanti nararūpeṇa mṛtyunā | niyataṃ coditā dhātrā siṃheneva mahāmṛgāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra disse: “Aqueles que irão à batalha para enfrentar a Morte em forma humana—como grandes feras que correm para lutar com um leão—devem ser entendidos como impelidos pelo próprio Ordenador a um fim já fixado: a morte.”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as an arena where death can appear ‘in human form’; those who rush into such combat are seen as already driven by the cosmic Ordainer toward an inevitable end. It highlights the tension between human agency and destiny, and the ethical gravity of choosing war.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the impending conflict and portrays the opponent as ‘Death in human form.’ Using the image of great beasts challenging a lion, he suggests that warriors who enter such a battle do so under a divine compulsion toward certain death.