Shloka 9
Draupadī’s Grief at Seeing the Heroes in Disguise (द्रौपदी-विषादः / वेष-परिभव-वर्णनम्)
भारत! पुरुषसिंह! राजा विराटका जो यह कीचक नामक सेनापति है, वह उनका साला लगता है। उसकी बुद्धि बड़ी खोटी है। राजमहलमें सैरन्ध्रीके वेशमें निवास करती हुई मुझे देखकर वह दुष्टात्मा प्रतिदिन ही आकर मुझसे कहता है--“मेरी ही पत्नी हो जाओ' ।। तेनोपमन्त्रयमाणाया वधाहेण सपत्नहन् । कालेनेव फलं पक्वं हृदयं मे विदीर्यते,शत्रुदमन! उस मार डालने योग्य पापीके द्वारा रोज-रोज यह घृणित प्रस्ताव सुनते- सुनते समयसे पके हुए फलकी भाँति मेरा हृदय विदीर्ण हो रहा है
bhārata puruṣasiṃha rājā virāṭakaḥ yo 'yaṃ kīcaka-nāmā senāpatiḥ sa teṣāṃ sālā bhavati | tasya buddhiḥ khotī | rājamahele sairandhrī-veśena nivasantīṃ māṃ dṛṣṭvā sa duṣṭātmā pratidinaṃ āgatya mām evaṃ vadati—“mamaiva patnī bhava” || tenopamantrayāmāṇāyā vadhārheṇa sapatnahan | kāleneva phalaṃ pakvaṃ hṛdayaṃ me vidīryate śatrudamana ||
“O Bhārata, O lion among men! In King Virāṭa’s household there is a commander named Kīcaka, who is related to them as a brother-in-law. His mind is thoroughly corrupt. Seeing me living in the royal palace in the guise of a maidservant, that wicked man comes to me every day and says, ‘Become my wife.’ Hearing this vile proposal again and again from that sinful man—fit to be slain—my heart is being torn apart, like a fruit splitting when it ripens in due time, O subduer of foes.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical gravity of coercive desire and abuse of power: a corrupt authority figure repeatedly harasses a vulnerable person. It frames such conduct as adharma—so grievous that the offender is described as vadhārha (“deserving to be slain”), underscoring the duty of righteous protectors to restrain injustice.
While living incognito in Virāṭa’s palace as a maidservant (Sairandhrī), the speaker reports that Kīcaka, the commander and a royal relative, repeatedly propositions her to become his wife. The repeated humiliation and fear cause intense anguish, and the speaker appeals to a hero addressed as “subduer of foes,” foreshadowing Kīcaka’s punishment.