Shloka 20
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 25: Kaurava Deliberation and the Search Directive (अन्वेषण-आदेशः)
येन त्रिगर्ता निहता बलेन महता नृप । सूतेन राज्ञों मत्स्यस्य कीचकेन बलीयसा
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
yena trigartā nihatā balena mahatā nṛpa |
sūtena rājño matsyasya kīcakena balīyasā ||
… gandharvair asau duṣṭātmā sahodara-bhrātṛbhiḥ saha rātrau gupta-rūpeṇa nihataḥ |
sa idānīṃ śmaśāna-bhūmau patitaḥ supta iva tiṣṭhati ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai Raja, dahulu kaum Trigarta pernah dihancurkan oleh kekuatan besar Kīcaka—putra sais kereta yang amat perkasa, panglima di bawah Raja Virāṭa dari Matsya. Orang yang berhati jahat itu kini telah dibunuh pada malam hari, secara rahasia, bersama saudara-saudaranya, oleh para Gandharwa. Kini ia tergeletak di tanah kremasi, seakan tertidur.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power gained through wrongdoing and arrogance is unstable; the ‘duṣṭātmā’ meets a sudden, shame-marked end (lying in the cremation-ground). The verse frames moral consequence and social disgrace as inseparable from violent misconduct.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Kīcaka—previously famed for crushing the Trigartas with a great force—has now been killed at night, secretly, along with his brothers, by ‘Gandharvas’ (a cover-story for unknown assailants). His body lies in the cremation-ground.