Shloka 11
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
उद्वेपते मे हृदयं ये मे दुर्योधनादय: । बाल्ये5पि तेन युध्यन्तो वारणेनेव मर्दिता:,उसकी याद आते ही मेरा हृदय काँपने लगता है। मेरे दुर्योधन आदि पुत्र बचपनमें भी जब उसके साथ खेल-कूदमें लड़ते थे, तब वह गजराजकी भाँति इन सबको मसल देता था
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | udvepate me hṛdayaṃ ye me duryodhanādayaḥ | bālye 'pi tena yudhyanto vāraṇeneva marditāḥ ||
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच— तं स्मरतो मे हृदयं कम्पते। बाल्येऽपि यदा मम पुत्रा दुर्योधनादयः क्रीडायां तेन सह कलहं मल्लयुद्धं च कुर्वन्ति स्म, तदा स गजराज इव तान् सर्वान् मर्दयित्वा पराजयति स्म।
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked power and past injuries breed fear and insecurity: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s anxiety arises from recognizing Bhīma’s overwhelming strength and the long-standing hostility between the cousins, suggesting that unresolved childhood enmity can mature into catastrophic war.
In the Udyoga Parva’s lead-up to war, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on the Pandava (implicitly Bhīma) whose might terrified the Kauravas even in childhood; he recalls how Duryodhana and his brothers were repeatedly overpowered, foreshadowing the imbalance of force that haunts the Kuru court.