Shloka 28
Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20
सा बाष्पकलया वाचा नि: श्वसन्ती पुनः पुन: । हृदयं भीमसेनस्य घट्टयन्तीदमब्रवीत्,वह बार-बार लंबी साँसें लेती हुई आँसुओंसे गद्गद वाणीमें भीमसेनके हृदयको कम्पित करती हुई इस प्रकार बोली--
sā bāṣpakalayā vācā niḥśvasantī punaḥ punaḥ | hṛdayaṃ bhīmasenasya ghaṭṭayantīdam abravīt ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Mit von Tränen erstickter Stimme, immer wieder tief aufseufzend, sprach sie diese Worte—so, dass Bhīmasenas Herz erbebte.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how truthful grief and urgent appeal can become an ethical force: it moves a powerful person toward protective, dharmic response, while reminding that emotion in epic narrative often functions to awaken duty and compassion rather than to undermine reason.
The narrator (Vaiśampāyana) describes a woman speaking through tears and repeated sighs; her words are so affecting that they ‘shake’ Bhīmasena’s heart, setting up an imminent response from him within the Virāṭa court episode.