Shloka 4
भीमसेनस्य आत्मबलप्रशंसा — Bhīmasena’s Assertion of Strength
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 74
श्रीभगवानुवाच त्वमन्यदा भीमसेन युद्धमेव प्रशंससि । वधाभिनन्दिन: क्रूरान् धार्तराष्ट्रानू मिमर्दिषु:
śrībhagavān uvāca tvam anyadā bhīmasena yuddham eva praśaṃsasi | vadhābhinandinaḥ krūrān dhārtarāṣṭrān mumardiṣuḥ |
Wika ng Mapalad na Panginoon: “O Bhīmasena, sa ibang mga araw ay digmaan lamang ang iyong pinupuri, at sa iyong isip ay nakatanim ang pagnanais na durugin ang malulupit na anak ni Dhṛtarāṣṭra—mga taong nagagalak sa pagpatay.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension between righteous duty and the lure of violence: even when war may seem inevitable, delighting in killing and cruelty is ethically censured, and one’s inner intention matters as much as outward action.
The speaker (the Blessed Lord, addressing Bhīma) recalls Bhīma’s earlier stance—his habitual praise of war and his intent to crush the Kauravas, described as cruel and fond of slaughter—setting up a contrast with the present moment and framing the ethical stakes of the coming conflict.