Shloka 18

Devanagari script

मा भीम साहसं कार्षीस्तिष्ठत्वेष वनस्पति: । मा त्वां वृक्षेण कर्माणि कुर्वाणमतिमानुषम्‌,'भीमसेन! ऐसा दुःसाहस न करो, इस वृक्षको खड़ा रहने दो। यदि तुम इस महावृक्षको उखाड़नेका अतिमानुष (मानवोंके लिये असाध्य) कर्म करोगे, तो सब लोग पहचान लेंगे कि यह तो भीम है। अतः भारत! तुम किसी दूसरे मानवोचित आयुधको ही ग्रहण करो

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | mā bhīma sāhasaṁ kārṣīs tiṣṭhatveṣa vanaspatiḥ | mā tvāṁ vṛkṣeṇa karmāṇi kurvāṇam atimānuṣam |

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“不可，毗摩啊，切莫行此鲁莽之举；让这树仍旧挺立。若你以树为兵器，施展这等超乎凡人的壮举，人们必会认出：‘此人正是毗摩。’因此，婆罗多啊，当取另一件合乎常人之兵器。”

Word by Word

• {'mā': 'do not (prohibitive particle)', 'bhīma': 'Bhīma (addressed in vocative)', 'sāhasam': 'rashness, reckless daring', 'kārṣīḥ (kārṣīs)': 'you should do/make (2nd person singular, prohibitive context)', 'tiṣṭhatu': 'let it stand

• let it remain', 'eṣa': 'this', 'vanaspatiḥ': 'tree (lord of the forest

• a large tree)', 'vṛkṣeṇa': 'with a tree (instrumental)', 'karmāṇi': 'deeds, actions', 'kurvāṇam': 'doing, performing (present participle)', 'atimānuṣam': 'superhuman

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Bhīma (Bhīmasena)
• tree (vanaspati/vṛkṣa)
• Bhārata (epithet/address)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even when one has extraordinary strength, dharma may require restraint and strategic discretion. Displaying superhuman prowess can endanger a larger duty—here, maintaining concealment—so one should choose means appropriate to the situation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Virāṭa episode, Bhīma is being cautioned not to uproot or wield a tree, because such an unmistakably superhuman act would reveal his identity. He is urged to use a more ordinary weapon so the Pandavas’ disguise remains intact.