Shloka 25

Devanagari script

विराट उवाच अहं खल्वपि संग्रामे शत्रूणां वशमागत: । मोक्षितो भीमसेनेन गावश्चापि जितास्तथा,विराट बोले--बेटा! मैं भी त्रिग्तोके साथ होनेवाले संग्राममें शत्रुओंके वशीभूत हो गया था, किंतु भीमसेनने मुझे छुड़ाया और हमारी सब गौओंको भी जीता

Transliteration

virāṭa uvāca | ahaṃ khalv api saṅgrāme śatrūṇāṃ vaśam āgataḥ | mokṣito bhīmasenena gāvaś cāpi jitās tathā ||

Translation

വിരാടൻ പറഞ്ഞു—മകനേ! യുദ്ധത്തിൽ ഞാനും ശത്രുക്കളുടെ അധീനനായി; എന്നാൽ ഭീമസേനൻ എന്നെ മോചിപ്പിച്ചു, നമ്മുടെ എല്ലാ പശുക്കളെയും ജയിച്ച് തിരിച്ചുകൊണ്ടുവന്നു।

Word by Word

विराटःVirata

उवाचsaid

अहम्I

खलुindeed

अपिalso/even

संग्रामेin battle

शत्रूणाम्of the enemies

वशम्control/power

आगतःhaving come/come into (i.e., fallen into)

मोक्षितःreleased/freed

भीमसेनेनby Bhimasena

गावःcows

चand

अपिalso

जिताःwon/recovered

तथाthus/likewise

Speaker

विराट उवाच

Characters & Entities

Virāṭa

Bhīmasena

śatravaḥ (enemies)

gāvaḥ (cattle/cows)

saṅgrāma (battle)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

A king acknowledges dependence on righteous strength: gratitude and humility are virtues, and protecting subjects’ wealth—especially cattle, a key livelihood—is part of royal dharma. Valor is shown not only in victory but in rescuing the vulnerable and restoring what was taken.

What is happening in the narrative?

Virāṭa recalls that during a battle he was overpowered by enemies, but Bhīmasena freed him and recovered their cattle. The statement highlights Bhīma’s decisive role in turning defeat into safety and restitution.