भीमसेने प्रविष्टे तु धृष्टद्युम्नो ऽपि पार्षतः ॥
द्रोणम् उत्सृज्य तरसा प्रययौ यत्र सौबलः ॥
विदार्य महतीं सेनां तावकानां नरर्षभः ॥
आससाद रथं शून्यं भीमसेनस्य संयुगे ॥
दृष्ट्वा विशोकं समरे भीमसेनस्य सारथिम् ॥
धृष्टद्युम्नो महाराज दुर्मना गतचेतनः ॥
अपृच्छद् बाष्पसंरुद्धो निस्वनां वाचम् ईरयन् ॥
मम प्राणैः प्रियतमः क्व भीम इति दुःखितः ॥
विशोकस् तम् उवाचेदं धृष्टद्युम्नं कृताञ्जलिः ॥
संस्थाप्य माम् इह बली पाण्डवेयः प्रतापवान् ॥
प्रविष्टो धार्तराष्ट्राणाम् एतद् बलमहार्णवम् ॥
माम् उक्त्वा पुरुषव्याघ्र प्रीतियुक्तम् इदं वचः ॥
प्रतिपालय मां सूत नियम्याश्वान् मुहूर्तकम् ॥
यावद् एतान् निहन्म्य् आशु य इमे मद्वधोद्यताः ॥
ततो दृष्ट्वा गदाहस्तं प्रधावन्तं महाबलम् ॥
सर्वेषाम् एव सैन्यानां संघर्षः समजायत ॥
तस्मिंस् तु तुमुले युद्धे वर्तमाने भयानके ॥
भित्त्वा राजन् महाव्यूहं प्रविवेश सखा तव ॥
विशोकस्य वचः श्रुत्वा धृष्टद्युम्नो ऽपि पार्षतः ॥
प्रत्युवाच ततः सूतं रणमध्ये महाबलः ॥
न हि मे विद्यते सूत जीविते ऽद्य प्रयोजनम् ॥
भीमसेनं रणे हित्वा स्नेहम् उत्सृज्य पाण्डवैः ॥
यदि यामि विना भीमं किं मां क्षत्रं वदिष्यति ॥
एकायनगते भीमे मयि चावस्थिते युधि ॥
अस्वस्ति तस्य कुर्वन्ति देवाः साग्निपुरोगमाः ॥
यः सहायान् परित्यज्य स्वस्तिमान् आव्रजेद् गृहान् ॥
मम भीमः सखा चैव संबन्धी च महाबलः ॥
भक्तो ऽस्मान् भक्तिमांश् चाहं तम् अप्य् अरिनिषूदनम् ॥
सो ऽहं तत्र गमिष्यामि यत्र यातो वृकोदरः ॥
निघ्नन्तं माम् अरीन् पश्य दानवान् इव वासवम् ॥
bhīmasene praviṣṭe tu dhṛṣṭadyumno 'pi pārṣataḥ ||
droṇam utsṛjya tarasā prayayau yatra saubalaḥ ||
vidārya mahatīṃ senāṃ tāvakānāṃ nararṣabhaḥ ||
āsasāda rathaṃ śūnyaṃ bhīmasenasya saṃyuge ||
dṛṣṭvā viśokaṃ samare bhīmasenasya sārathim ||
dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārāja durmanā gatacetanaḥ ||
apṛcchad bāṣpasaṃruddho nisvanāṃ vācam īrayan ||
mama prāṇaiḥ priyatamaḥ kva bhīma iti duḥkhitaḥ ||
viśokas tam uvācedaṃ dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ kṛtāñjaliḥ ||
saṃsthāpya mām iha balī pāṇḍaveyaḥ pratāpavān ||
praviṣṭo dhārtarāṣṭrāṇām etad balamahārṇavam ||
mām uktvā puruṣavyāghra prītiyuktam idaṃ vacaḥ ||
pratipālaya māṃ sūta niyamyāśvān muhūrtakam ||
yāvad etān nihanmy āśu ya ime madvadhodyatāḥ ||
tato dṛṣṭvā gadāhastaṃ pradhāvantaṃ mahābalam ||
sarveṣām eva sainyānāṃ saṃgharṣaḥ samajāyata ||
tasmiṃs tu tumule yuddhe vartamāne bhayānake ||
bhittvā rājan mahāvyūhaṃ praviveśa sakhā tava ||
viśokasya vacaḥ śrutvā dhṛṣṭadyumno 'pi pārṣataḥ ||
pratyuvāca tataḥ sūtaṃ raṇamadhye mahābalaḥ ||
na hi me vidyate sūta jīvite 'dya prayojanam ||
bhīmasenaṃ raṇe hitvā sneham utsṛjya pāṇḍavaiḥ ||
yadi yāmi vinā bhīmaṃ kiṃ māṃ kṣatraṃ vadiṣyati ||
ekāyanagate bhīme mayi cāvasthite yudhi ||
asvasti tasya kurvanti devāḥ sāgnipurogamāḥ ||
yaḥ sahāyān parityajya svastimān āvrajed gṛhān ||
mama bhīmaḥ sakhā caiva saṃbandhī ca mahābalaḥ ||
bhakto 'smān bhaktimāṃś cāhaṃ tam apy ariniṣūdanam ||
so 'haṃ tatra gamiṣyāmi yatra yāto vṛkodaraḥ ||
nighnantaṃ mām arīn paśya dānavān iva vāsavam ||
When Bhimasena had entered the ranks, Dhrishtadyumna, son of Prishata, swiftly abandoned Drona and went toward where Shakuni was. Having burst through the great army of your men, o bull among men, he came upon Bhimasena's empty chariot in the battle. Seeing Vishoka, Bhimasena's charioteer, in the fight, Dhrishtadyumna, great king, grew despondent and lost his composure. Choked with tears, he asked in a muffled voice: 'Where is Bhima, who is dearer to me than life itself?', grieving. Vishoka, with joined palms, said this to Dhrishtadyumna: 'The mighty and valiant son of Pandu stationed me here and entered this great ocean of the Dhartarashtra army. He spoke to me kindly, tiger among men: "Wait for me, charioteer; hold the horses for a moment, until I swiftly slay those who have risen to kill me."' Then, when all the armies saw this mighty warrior rushing forward, mace in hand, a general clash arose. While that terrible, tumultuous battle raged, your friend, o king, broke through the great array and pressed inside. Having heard Vishoka's words, mighty Dhrishtadyumna, son of Prishata, answered the charioteer in the midst of battle: 'Today I have no reason to live if I abandon Bhimasena in battle and cast off my affection for the Pandavas. If I go without Bhima, what will the warrior class say of me, when Bhima has gone the one way forward and I remain standing in the fight? The gods, with Agni foremost, bring misfortune upon one who abandons his companions and returns home unharmed. Bhima is my friend, my kinsman, and a mighty ally; he is devoted to us, and I too am devoted to him, the slayer of foes. So I shall go where Vrikodara has gone. Watch me strike down the enemies, as Vasava strikes the danavas.'
4f3b34ac9e14 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:38:20 PM UTC
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Dhrishtadyumna measures honor not by self-preservation but by loyalty to those bound to him by duty. In this speech friendship, kinship, and kshatriya responsibility converge into a single resolve: not to abandon a comrade among enemies.