Shloka 16

भীমेन युधिष्ठिरस्य त्यागवृत्तेः प्रतिषेधः

Bhīma’s Rebuttal of Yudhiṣṭhira’s Renunciatory Inclination

Devanagari script

अगतीकगतीनस्मान्‌ नष्टार्थानर्थसिद्धये । कथं वै नानुपश्येयुर्जना: पश्यत यादृशम्‌

Transliteration

agatīkagatīn asmān naṣṭārthān arthasiddhaye | kathaṃ vai nānupaśyeyur janāḥ paśyata yādṛśam |

Translation

毗摩说道：“往昔我们曾是无依者的依怙，是无路者的道路；而今我们的力量与志业却已败坏。如此境况，那些为求成就而来投靠我们的人，怎会不看见我们的软弱？诸位亲族，请思量我所言：你们以为如何？”

Word by Word

• {'agatīka-gatīn': 'those who are a ‘way’ (refuge/recourse) for the wayless

• protectors of the helpless', 'asmān': 'us', 'naṣṭa-arthān': 'those whose artha (means, power, purpose, resources) is lost

• ruined in capacity', 'artha-siddhaye': 'for the accomplishment of aims

• for success in worldly objectives', 'katham': 'how?', 'vai': 'indeed, surely (emphatic particle)', 'na anupaśyeyuḥ': 'would not notice/observe

• would fail to perceive', 'janāḥ': 'people', 'paśyata': 'look! behold! (imperative)', 'yādṛśam': 'what sort (of state)

Speaker

भीम उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhima
• kinsmen/bandhus (addressed collectively)
• people (janāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A leader’s moral authority rests on the capacity to protect and support others; when that capacity collapses, dependents inevitably perceive the weakness. The verse highlights the ethical burden of being a refuge and the shame and social consequences of losing that role.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhima laments that those who once served as shelter for the helpless are now themselves diminished. He anticipates that people who used to rely on them for achieving their aims will clearly see their present frailty, and he asks his kinsmen to reflect on his assessment.