Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 19
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
कीचको<थ ग्हं गत्वा भृशं हर्षपरिप्लुत: । सैरन्ध्रीरूपिणं मूढो मृत्युं तं नावबुद्धवान्
Kīcako ’tha gṛhaṃ gatvā bhṛśaṃ harṣapariplutaḥ | Sairandhrīrūpiṇaṃ mūḍho mṛtyuṃ taṃ nāvabuddhavān ||
Then Kīcaka, overwhelmed with intense delight, returned to his house. In his delusion, that fool did not recognize that death itself had come to him in the guise of the maidservant (Sairandhrī).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma—especially lustful obsession and arrogant self-confidence—clouds discernment. Kīcaka’s exhilaration makes him blind to consequences, illustrating that moral blindness often precedes downfall.
After pursuing the Sairandhrī (Draupadī in disguise), Kīcaka returns home elated. Unaware, he is moving toward his own death, since the Sairandhrī episode will lead to Bhīma’s lethal punishment of Kīcaka.