Shloka 32

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas

Devanagari script

सत्य भ्रातृश्व धर्म च पुरस्कृत्य ब्रवीमि ते । कीचकं निहनिष्यामि वृत्रं देवपतिर्यथा,मैं सत्य, धर्म और भाइयोंको आगे करके--उनकी शपथ खाकर तुमसे कहता हूँ, जैसे देवराज इन्द्रने वृत्रासुरको मारा था, उसी प्रकार मैं भी कीचकका वध कर डालूँगा

Transliteration

satyaṁ bhrātṛśva dharmaṁ ca puraskṛtya bravīmi te | kīcakaṁ nihaniṣyāmi vṛtraṁ devapatir yathā ||

Translation

Indem ich Wahrheit, brüderliche Treue und Dharma voranstelle, erkläre ich dir: Ich werde Kīcaka töten, wie Indra, der Herr der Götter, Vṛtra erschlug. Das ist nicht bloßer Zorn, sondern ein Gelübde, gegründet auf Gerechtigkeit und auf die Pflicht, die Eigenen zu schützen.

Word by Word

सत्यंtruth (as an object invoked)

भ्रातृश्वO brother (address)

धर्मंdharma, righteousness (invoked)

चand

पुरस्कृत्यhaving put forward / having invoked

ब्रवीमिI say / I tell

तेto you

कीचकंKīcaka

निहनिष्यामिI will slay

वृत्रंVṛtra

देवपतिःlord of the gods (Indra)

यथाas, just as

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīmasena

Kīcaka

Indra (Devapati)

Vṛtra

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames decisive action as ethically grounded: Bhīma’s resolve is presented as a vow made with satya (truth), dharma (righteous duty), and loyalty to his brothers as the guiding standards, implying that force is justified when it protects honor and restrains wrongdoing.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Virāṭa court episode, Bhīma declares his intention to kill Kīcaka, invoking the paradigm of Indra killing Vṛtra to emphasize certainty, legitimacy, and heroic capability in removing a dangerous aggressor.