Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 33
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
त॑ गद्दरे प्रकाशे वा पोथयिष्यामि कीचकम् | अथ चेदपि योत्स्यन्ति हिंसे मत्स्यानपि ध्रुवम्
taṁ gaddare prakāśe vā pothayiṣyāmi kīcakam | atha ced api yotsyanti hiṁse matsyān api dhruvam ||
ビーマは宣言した。キーचकがどこにいようとも—人目を避けた場所であれ、衆人の前であれ—見つけ次第、粉砕してみせる、と。さらに、もしマツヤ国の男たちがキーचकに与して戦いを選ぶなら、彼らもまた必ず討ち倒す、と。これは、ドラウパディーの名誉を守り、アダルマを罰するためのビーマの烈しい決意を示し、たとえヴィラータの国中に争いが広がる危険があろうとも退かぬことを語っている。
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Adharma—especially the violation of a woman’s dignity—demands decisive restraint of the offender; yet the verse also highlights the ethical tension that righteous protection can threaten to spill into broader violence if others defend wrongdoing.
During the Pandavas’ incognito stay in Matsya, Bhima vows to kill Kichaka for his misconduct and declares that even if Matsya’s men support Kichaka and fight, he will defeat them too—signaling both protection and the danger of escalation.