Shloka 26
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
शून्यं स नर्तनागारमागमिष्यति कीचक: । एको निशि महाबाहो कीचकं त॑ निषूदय
śūnyaṁ sa nartanāgāram āgamiṣyati kīcakaḥ | eko niśi mahābāho kīcakaṁ taṁ niṣūdaya ||
Kīcaka akan datang ke balai tari ketika tempat itu kosong. Wahai yang berlengan perkasa, pergilah seorang diri pada malam hari dan bunuhlah Kīcaka itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames force as a targeted, strategic act used to stop ongoing wrongdoing: the aggressor is lured to an isolated place and punished without endangering others, reflecting a concern for protecting the vulnerable and minimizing collateral harm.
A plan is stated: Kīcaka will come to the dance-hall when it is empty; the addressed hero is instructed to go alone at night and kill Kīcaka there, setting up the decisive confrontation in the Kīcaka episode of the Virāṭa court.