Shloka 14
भीमसेनस्य आत्मबलप्रशंसा — Bhīmasena’s Assertion of Strength
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 74
इति सम मध्ये भ्रातृणां सत्येनालभसे गदाम् । तस्य ते प्रशमे बुद्धिर्ध्रियतेडद्य परंतप
iti samamadhye bhrātṝṇāṁ satyenālabhase gadām | tasya te praśame buddhir dhriyate 'dya parantapa ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana disse: “Assim, no meio de teus irmãos, pela veracidade obtiveste a maça. Portanto, ó flagelo dos inimigos, que tua resolução hoje se mantenha firme na contenção e na pacificação—que tua mente se fixe em acalmar a situação, e não em incendiá-la.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse links moral integrity (satya, truthfulness/keeping one’s word) with rightful attainment, and then urges praśama—calm restraint—as the proper use of strength. Power gained through dharma should be governed by self-control rather than anger.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the addressed hero has obtained a mace among his brothers through adherence to truth, and he counsels that the hero’s mind should now be steadied toward pacification—signaling a moment where restraint is urged amid rising tensions.