Mahabharata 7.141.97 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 141, Shloka 97
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
मूलपुष्पफलाहारो व्रतेषु नियमेषु च । उचिततस्त्वं वने भीम न त्वं युद्धविशारद:,“भीम! वनमें रहकर तू फल-मूल और फूल खाकर व्रत एवं नियम आदि पालन करनेके योग्य है। युद्धकौशल तुझमें नाममात्रको भी नहीं है
sañjaya uvāca | mūla-puṣpa-phala-āhāro vrateṣu niyameṣu ca | ucitatas tvaṃ vane bhīma na tvaṃ yuddha-viśāradaḥ ||
โอ ภีมะ! การอยู่ในป่า กินรากไม้ ดอกไม้ และผลไม้ พร้อมถือพรตและวินัยนั้นเหมาะกับเจ้า; แต่เจ้าไม่ใช่ผู้ชำนาญศึก.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between ascetic virtues (vows, restraints, forest-dwelling) and the immediate demands of kshatriya duty in war. It suggests that virtues are context-sensitive: in a battlefield setting, courage and martial competence are treated as the relevant measure of worth, and the line uses that standard to shame an opponent.
Sanjaya reports a harsh remark directed at Bhima, portraying him as better suited to a forest life of austere observances than to the skills of combat. The statement is a provocation intended to undermine Bhima’s reputation as a formidable warrior and to unsettle him psychologically amid the war narrative of the Drona Parva.
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