Mahabharata 4.22.94 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 22, Shloka 94
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
अमानुषं कृतं कर्म तं दृष्टवा विनिपातितम् । क्वास्य ग्रीवा क्व चरणौ क्व पाणी क््व शिरस्तथा । इति सम त॑ परीक्षन्ते गन्धर्वेण हतं तदा
amānuṣaṁ kṛtaṁ karma taṁ dṛṣṭvā vinipātitam | kvāsya grīvā kva caraṇau kva pāṇī kva śirastathā | iti sma taṁ parīkṣante gandharveṇa hataṁ tadā |
അവനെ അങ്ങനെ വീണുകിടക്കുന്നതു കണ്ട അവർ പറഞ്ഞു—“ഇത് മനുഷ്യൻ ചെയ്ത പ്രവൃത്തിയല്ല. നോക്കൂ—ഇവന്റെ കഴുത്ത് എവിടെ, കാലുകൾ എവിടെ, കൈകൾ എവിടെ, തല എവിടെ?” എന്ന് പറഞ്ഞ് അവർ ശരീരം സൂക്ഷ്മമായി പരിശോധിച്ചു; അപ്പോൾ അവർ നിശ്ചയിച്ചു—ഇവനെ ഗന്ധർവൻ തന്നെയാണ് വധിച്ചത്.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how communities interpret shocking events: when an act seems beyond ordinary human capacity, people may attribute it to superhuman forces. Ethically, it also reflects the protective logic of the narrative—maintaining secrecy and safeguarding honor can lead to indirect explanations that society finds plausible.
After Kīcaka has been killed in a brutal manner, onlookers inspect the body and, unable to imagine a human perpetrator, conclude that a Gandharva must have slain him. This supports the ongoing concealment of the Pāṇḍavas’ identities during their incognito stay in Virāṭa’s kingdom.
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