Shloka 3
त्रिगर्त-मात्स्य-संग्रामः
The Trigarta–Matsya Engagement at Twilight
कीचके तु हते राजा विराट: परवीरहा । परां सम्भावनां चक्रे कुन्तीपुत्रे युधिष्ठिरे
kīcake tu hate rājā virāṭaḥ paravīrahā | parāṃ sambhāvanāṃ cakre kuntīputre yudhiṣṭhire ||
When Kīcaka had been slain, King Virāṭa—renowned as a destroyer of enemy heroes—began to hold Yudhiṣṭhira, the son of Kuntī, in the highest esteem and conceived great expectations of him.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True worth becomes evident when coercive power and fear recede: after Kīcaka’s fall, Virāṭa turns to honoring Yudhiṣṭhira’s steady virtue and capacity for righteous leadership, suggesting that dharmic character naturally commands respect.
Following Kīcaka’s death, King Virāṭa reassesses the situation at court and begins to treat Yudhiṣṭhira with exceptional honor, placing strong hopes in him—an early sign of Virāṭa’s growing trust in the disguised Pāṇḍavas.