Shloka 3

भीमस्य बल्लव-प्रतिज्ञा तथा अर्जुनस्य बृहन्नडा-रूप-निर्णयः

Bhīma’s Ballava Vow and Arjuna’s Decision to Become Bṛhannadā

Devanagari script

आहरिष्यामि दारूणां निचयान्‌ महतो5पि च,इतना ही नहीं, मैं रसोईके लिये लकड़ियोंके बड़े-से-बड़े गट्टोंकी भी उठा लाऊँगा, जिस महान्‌ कर्मको देखकर राजा विराट मुझे अवश्य रसोइयेके कामपर नियुक्त कर लेंगे। भारत! मैं वहाँ ऐसे-ऐसे अद्भुत कार्य करता रहूँगा, जो साधारण मनुष्योंकी शक्तिके बाहर है

Transliteration

āhariṣyāmi dārūṇāṃ nicayān mahato 'pi ca

Translation

Bhīmasena erklärt, er werde für die königliche Küche große Haufen Brennholz herbeischaffen—selbst die größten Bündel. Indem er eine derart gewaltige Arbeit verrichtet, die die Kraft gewöhnlicher Menschen übersteigt, will er seine Stärke unübersehbar machen, damit König Virāṭa ihn zum Küchendienst bestellt. Der ethische Unterton ist strategische Selbstzucht: Nützlichkeit zeigen, ohne die Identität preiszugeben, und so das Gelübde der Verborgenheit wahren.

Word by Word

[{'term''āhariṣyāmi', 'definition': 'I shall bring

I will fetch (future of √hṛ with ā-)'}, {'term''dārūṇām', 'definition': 'of woods

of firewood (genitive plural of dāru)'}, {'term''nicayān', 'definition': 'heaps, piles, collections (accusative plural of nicaya)'}, {'term': 'mahataḥ', 'definition': 'great, large (genitive/ablative singular of mahat

here qualifying the heaps/bundles by sense)'}, {'term''api', 'definition': 'even, also'}, {'term': 'ca', 'definition': 'and'}]

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

King Virāṭa

firewood (dāru)

kitchen/cook’s work (implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

To uphold one’s vow and larger duty, one may adopt humble service and controlled self-display—using strength for protection and livelihood without ego or disclosure, aligning capability with dharma and circumstance.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the incognito year in Virāṭa’s kingdom, Bhīma plans to secure a position by demonstrating extraordinary physical labor—fetching massive piles of firewood—so that Virāṭa will employ him in the royal kitchen while his true identity remains concealed.