Shloka 3
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
सूपकारं विराटस्य बल्लवं त्वां विदुर्जना: । प्रेष्यत्वं समनुप्राप्तं ततो दुःखतरं नु किम्
sūpakāraṃ virāṭasya ballavaṃ tvāṃ vidur janāḥ | preṣyatvaṃ samanuprāptaṃ tato duḥkhataraṃ nu kim ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “People know you in King Virāṭa’s household as the cook named Ballava. Though you are a master by nature and station, you have now fallen into the condition of a servant. What sorrow could be greater than this?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the pain of social reversal—one who is inherently a lord being forced into servitude—inviting reflection on endurance, dignity, and dharma under adversity, especially during exile and concealment.
In the Virāṭa Parva’s incognito period, the person addressed is known in King Virāṭa’s court as “Ballava,” a cook. Vaiśampāyana underscores the tragic contrast between the person’s true stature and the imposed role of a servant.