Udyoga-parva Adhyāya 50 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Appraisal of Bhīmasena (भीमसेनभयवर्णनम्)
दिशो नूनं गमिष्यन्ति भीमसेनभयार्दिता: । मम पुत्राश्न भृत्याश्न राजानश्वैव संजय,संजय! निश्चय ही भीमसेनके भयसे पीड़ित हो मेरे पुत्र, सेवक तथा सहायक नरेश विभिन्न दिशाओंमें भाग जायँगे
diśo nūnaṁ gamiṣyanti bhīmasenabhayārditāḥ | mama putrāś ca bhṛtyāś ca rājānaś caiva sañjaya sañjaya || niścayaṁ hi bhīmasenasya bhayena pīḍitā mama putrāḥ sevakāḥ tathā sahāyakā nṛpā vividhāsu diśāsu bhāgāḥ yāsyanti ||
持国王说道:“三阇耶啊,确然如此。因惧怖毗摩塞那而心神战栗,我的儿子们——连同侍从与盟邦诸王——必将四散奔逃,遁入四方。实在是,被对毗摩的恐惧所压迫,他们将无法固守其位。”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Fear and moral weakness corrode leadership: Dhṛtarāṣṭra anticipates collapse not from strategy but from inner panic. The verse highlights how adharma-driven choices breed insecurity, and how a leader’s anxiety about consequences can foreshadow the unraveling of alliances.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra speaks to Sañjaya, imagining that the Kauravas, their attendants, and allied kings will flee in all directions, overwhelmed by fear of Bhīmasena. It reflects the tense pre-war atmosphere of the Udyoga Parva, where the prospect of conflict exposes the Kaurava camp’s apprehensions.