Shloka 44
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 33 — Kuru Cattle-Raid and Matsya Mobilization (भूमिंजय-प्रेरणा)
अनेन वीर्येण कथं गास्त्व॑ प्रार्थयसे बलात् | कथं चानुचरांस्त्यक्त्वा शत्रुमध्ये विषीदसि
anena vīryeṇa kathaṃ gāstvā prārthayase balāt | kathaṃ cānucarāṃstyaktvā śatrumadhye viṣīdasi |
Vaiśampāyana said: “Relying on this so-called valor, how did you think you could seize Virāṭa’s cattle by sheer force? And how is it that, abandoning your own attendants in the midst of enemies, you now flee and sink into despair?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns hollow bravado and highlights kṣatriya ethics: one must not commit injustice (forcibly seizing another king’s cattle) and, having initiated conflict, must not abandon one’s own followers or collapse into despair. True valor includes responsibility, steadiness, and protection of dependents.
In the Virāṭa Parva’s cattle-raid context, a rebuke is voiced (as narrated by Vaiśampāyana) toward those who attempted to carry off King Virāṭa’s cows by force but, when confronted in battle, left their attendants amid enemies and fled, becoming despondent.