Shloka 14
Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
अस्त्रे द्रोणार्जुनसमं वायुवेगसमं जवे । महेश्वरसमं क्रोधे को हन्याद् भीममाहवे
astre droṇārjunasamaṃ vāyuvegāsamaṃ jave | maheśvarasamaṃ krodhe ko hanyād bhīmam āhave ||
Wika ni Dhṛtarāṣṭra: “Sa kahusayan sa sandata, kapantay niya sina Droṇa at Arjuna; sa bilis, kasimbilis siya ng hangin; at sa poot, maihahambing siya kay Maheśvara. Sino nga ba ang makapapatay kay Bhīma sa digmaan?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary power—skill, speed, and wrath—can make a warrior seem invincible, and it implicitly warns rulers that fear and misjudgment in the face of such power can drive disastrous decisions in a dharma-crisis.
In the Udyoga Parva’s pre-war deliberations, Dhṛtarāṣṭra reflects on Bhīma’s formidable capabilities, rhetorically asking who could possibly kill him in battle, revealing the Kuru court’s apprehension as war approaches.