Shloka 70
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
मुहूर्त तु स तं वेगं सहित्वा भुवि दुःसहम् । बलादहीयत तदा सूतो भीमबलार्दित:,भूमिपर खड़े रहकर दो घड़ीतक उस दुःसह वेगको सह लेनेके पश्चात् भीमसेनके बलसे पीड़ित हो सूतपुत्र कीचक अपनी शक्ति खो बैठा
muhūrtaṃ tu sa taṃ vegaṃ sahitvā bhuvi duḥsaham | balād ahīyata tadā sūto bhīmabalārditaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: For a short while he endured that unbearable onrush while standing upon the ground; but then, crushed by Bhīmasena’s might, the charioteer’s son (Kīcaka) was stripped of his strength. The scene underscores how arrogance and abuse of power meet their limit when confronted by righteous force, and how unchecked wrongdoing collapses under the weight of its own violence.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Misused power and arrogance are inherently unstable: when wrongdoing persists, it eventually meets a force aligned with protection and justice. The verse highlights the ethical idea that strength, when exercised to restrain harm, restores moral balance.
Kīcaka, identified as the son of a charioteer, withstands Bhīma’s assault for a brief time, but then his strength fails under Bhīma’s superior force—marking the turning point where Kīcaka is overpowered.