Shloka 19
Kṛṣṇa-vīrya-kathana
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s appraisal of Vāsudeva’s deeds
भीमनिः:स्वनितो रौद्रो दुर्योधनपुरोगमान्,जिस समय भयंकर गर्जना करनेवाले रौद्ररूपधारी बुद्धिमान् अर्जुनने युद्धमें गाण्डीव धारण करके सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए गृध्रपंखयुक्त बाणोंद्वारा दुर्योधन आदि मेरे पुत्रों और सैनिकोंको घायल करना आरम्भ किया, उस समय तुमलोगोंके मनकी कैसी अवस्था हुई थी?
bhīmanisvanaḥ raudro duryodhana-purogamān | yadā bhayaṅkara-garjanā-kārī raudra-rūpa-dhārī buddhimān arjunaḥ yuddhe gāṇḍīvaṃ dhṛtvā saṃdhāya śāṇopacita-tīkṣṇīkṛtān gṛdhra-pakṣa-yuktān bāṇān duryodhanādīn mama putrān sainikāṃś ca viddhvā ghātayitum ārabdhavān, tadā yuṣmākaṃ manasaḥ kā avasthā āsīt? (vaiśampāyana uvāca)
भीमनिःस्वनितो रौद्रो दुर्योधनपुरोगमान् । यदा गाण्डीवमादाय शाणितान् गृध्रपक्षिणः शरान् मम सुतान् बलं च व्यधत्, तदा युष्माकं मनः किमभवत् ॥
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inner dimension of dharma-yuddha: beyond physical outcomes, war tests the mind—courage, fear, and moral steadiness. It implicitly contrasts Arjuna’s disciplined, purposeful force with the psychological collapse that can arise in an unrighteous or threatened side.
Vaiśampāyana describes Arjuna entering the fight in a terrifying, forceful manner, wielding the Gāṇḍīva and shooting sharpened, feathered arrows that begin to wound Duryodhana and the Kaurava troops. The speaker then asks what the listeners’ mental state was at that moment—emphasizing the shock and fear caused by Arjuna’s onslaught.