Shloka 15
Ballava (Bhīma) Seeks Employment as Royal Cook in Virāṭa’s Court
विराट उवाच हन्यामवश्यं यदि ते5प्रियं चरेत् प्रत्राजयेयं विषयाद् द्विजांस्तथा । शृण्वन्तु मे जानपदा: समागता: कड्को यथाहं विषये प्रभुस्तथा,विराट बोले--ब्रह्मन्! यदि कोई ब्राह्मणेतर मनुष्य आपका अप्रिय करेगा तो उसे मैं निश्चय ही प्राण-दण्ड दूँगा। यदि ब्राह्मणोंने आपका अपराध किया तो उन्हें देशसे निकाल दूँगा। [युधिष्ठिससे ऐसा कहकर राजा विराट अन्य सभासदोंसे बोले--] मेरे राज्यमें निवास करनेवाले और इस सभामें आये हुए लोगो! मेरी बात सुनो, जैसे मैं इस मत्स्यदेशका स्वामी हूँ, वैसे ही ये कंक भी हैं
virāṭa uvāca | hanyām avaśyaṃ yadi te 'priyaṃ caret pratrājayeyam viṣayād dvijāṃs tathā | śṛṇvantu me jānapadāḥ samāgatāḥ kaṅko yathāhaṃ viṣaye prabhus tathā ||
Virāṭa said: “If anyone acts against you in a way that displeases you, I shall certainly put him to death; and if Brahmins commit an offence against you, I shall have them expelled from my realm. Let the people of my country who are assembled here hear me: just as I am the sovereign in this Matsya kingdom, so is this Kaṅka as well.”
विराट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal dharma: a king publicly guarantees protection to one under his patronage and asserts sovereign authority to enforce order. It also reflects the period’s graded punitive norms—severe punishment for general offenders and banishment for Brahmins—showing how justice was framed through social categories while aiming to preserve public stability.
King Virāṭa, addressing his court and subjects, declares that anyone who harms or offends Kaṅka will be punished—death for ordinary offenders and expulsion for Brahmins. He then proclaims Kaṅka’s standing in the realm, equating Kaṅka’s authority with his own within the Matsya kingdom, thereby securing Kaṅka’s safety and status at court.