Shloka 7
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
अजुन उवाच न पुरा भीमसेन त्वमीदृशीर्वदिता गिर: । परैस्ते नाशितं नून॑ नृशंसैर्धर्मगौरवम्,अर्जुन बोले--भैया भीमसेन! तुमने पहले कभी ऐसी बातें नहीं कही थीं। निश्चय ही क्रूरकर्मा शत्रुओंने तुम्हारी धर्मविषयक गौरवबुद्धिको नष्ट कर दिया है
arjuna uvāca na purā bhīmasena tvam īdṛśīr vaditā giraḥ | parais te nāśitaṁ nūnaṁ nṛśaṁsair dharmagauravam ||
Arjuna said: “Never before, Bhimasena, have you spoken words like these. Surely the ruthless enemies have now destroyed your reverence for dharma—your sense of moral honor.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Arjuna frames ethical steadfastness as something that can be eroded by hostile influence and adversity. He cautions that abandoning reverence for dharma—especially in one’s speech and intentions—is a moral defeat even before any physical contest is decided.
In the Sabha Parva context of humiliation and rising enmity, Arjuna reacts to Bhima’s unusually harsh or uncharacteristic words. He interprets Bhima’s shift in tone as the result of the cruel opponents’ actions, suggesting that their wrongdoing has shaken Bhima’s earlier dharma-centered restraint.