Shloka 76

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

Devanagari script

प्रगृह् तरसा दोर्भ्या कण्ठं तस्य वृकोदर: । अपीडयत कृष्णायास्तदा कोपोपशान्तये

Transliteration

pragṛhya tarasā dorbhyā kaṇṭhaṃ tasya vṛkodaraḥ | apīḍayat kṛṣṇāyās tadā kopopaśāntaye ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana sprach: Vṛkodara (Bhīma) packte ihn rasch mit beiden Armen und drückte dem Mann die Kehle zu, um so Kṛṣṇās (Draupadīs) aufsteigenden Zorn zu besänftigen.

Word by Word

प्रगृह्यhaving seized/after seizing

तरसाwith force, forcibly

दोर्भ्याम्with (his) two arms

कण्ठम्the neck/throat

तस्यof him

वृकोदरःVṛkodara (Bhīma)

अपीडयत्pressed/squeezed

कृष्णायाःfor Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)

तदाthen

कोपोपशान्तयेfor the pacification of (her) anger

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Vṛkodara (Bhīma)

Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)

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?

Even justified anger can become destructive if it breaks strategic restraint and dharma; therefore, one may employ measured, non-lethal force to prevent escalation and protect a higher duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bhīma quickly grabs a man by the throat and constricts him, not primarily to punish, but to calm Draupadī’s anger and avert a situation that could spiral into open conflict during the Pandavas’ period of concealment.