वैशंपायन उवाच
कुरुराजे च रङ्गस्थे भीमे च बलिनां वरे ॥
पक्षपातकृतस्नेहः स द्विधेवाभवज् जनः ॥
हा वीर कुरुराजेति हा भीमेति च नर्दताम् ॥
पुरुषाणां सुविपुलाः प्रणादाः सहसोत्थिताः ॥
ततः क्षुब्धार्णवनिभं रङ्गम् आलोक्य बुद्धिमान् ॥
भारद्वाजः प्रियं पुत्रम् अश्वत्थामानम् अब्रवीत् ॥
वारयैतौ महावीर्यौ कृतयोग्याव् उभाव् अपि ॥
मा भूद् रङ्गप्रकोपो ऽयं भीमदुर्योधनोद्भवः ॥
ततस् ताव् उद्यतगदौ गुरुपुत्रेण वारितौ ॥
युगान्तानिलसंक्षुब्धौ महावेगाव् इवार्णवौ ॥
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
kururāje ca raṅgasthe bhīme ca balināṃ vare ||
pakṣapātakṛtasnehaḥ sa dvidhevābhavaj janaḥ ||
hā vīra kururājeti hā bhīmeti ca nardatām ||
puruṣāṇāṃ suvipulāḥ praṇādāḥ sahasotthitāḥ ||
tataḥ kṣubdhārṇavanibhaṃ raṅgam ālokya buddhimān ||
bhāradvājaḥ priyaṃ putram aśvatthāmānam abravīt ||
vārayaitau mahāvīryau kṛtayogyāv ubhāv api ||
mā bhūd raṅgaprakopo 'yaṃ bhīmaduryodhanodbhavaḥ ||
tatas tāv udyatagadau guruputreṇa vāritau ||
yugāntānilasaṃkṣubdhau mahāvegāv ivārṇavau ||
Vaishampayana said: "When Duryodhana and Bhima, best of the mighty, were on the arena, the people, full of partisan affection, seemed to split in two. 'O hero, King of Kuru!', 'O Bhima!' — suddenly loud shouts of the crying people arose. Then, seeing the arena like a turbulent ocean, the wise Drona said to his beloved son Ashvatthaman: 'Restrain these two of great valor, both well trained; let there be no uproar on the arena born of the rivalry of Bhima and Duryodhana.' And the teacher's son restrained those two with maces raised, turbulent like two oceans stirred up by the wind at the end of an age."
85a3c9f9186c · published Jul 12, 2026, 4:53:32 PM UTC
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Here discord already splits the people into two camps — a fearsome foreshadowing of the war to come. It is telling that the spectators "split in two," shouting for Duryodhana and for Bhima: the enmity of the cousins already draws people into itself, and the arena becomes a small likeness of Kurukshetra. Here one sees how the personal strife of rulers inevitably splits the people as well. Telling too is the wisdom of Drona: foreseeing turmoil, he at once orders the fighters separated — prudence extinguishes the spark before it becomes a conflagration. Thus the scripture shows that the rivalry of Bhima and Duryodhana is no longer play but a force capable of igniting general turmoil; and only timely intervention holds it back — for a time.