Shloka 1

मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana

Devanagari script

#::2:7 #पड- (0) हि 2 7 (किर्मीरवधपर्व) एकादशो< ध्याय: भीमसेनके द्वारा किर्मीरके वधकी कथा धृतराष्ट उवाच किर्मीरस्य वध क्षत्त: श्रोतुमिच्छामि कथ्यताम्‌ | रक्षसा भीमसेनस्य कथमासीत्‌ समागम:,धृतराष्ट्रने पूछा--विदुर! मैं किर्मीरवधका वृत्तान्त सुनना चाहता हूँ, कहो। उस राक्षसके साथ भीमसेनकी मुठभेड़ कैसे हुई?

Transliteration

dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | kirmīrasya vadhaṃ kṣattaḥ śrotum icchāmi kathyatām | rakṣasā bhīmasenasya katham āsīt samāgamaḥ ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Wahai Kṣattṛ (Vidura), aku ingin mendengar tentang pembunuhan Kirmīra—ceritakan kepadaku. Bagaimanakah Bhīmasena bertemu dan berhadapan dengan rākṣasa itu?”

Word by Word

• {'dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca': 'Dhṛtarāṣṭra said', 'kirmīrasya': 'of Kirmīra (a rākṣasa named Kirmīra)', 'vadham': 'slaying, killing', 'kṣattaḥ (kṣattṛ)': 'O chamberlain

• epithet of Vidura', 'śrotum': 'to hear', 'icchāmi': 'I desire, I wish', 'kathyatām': 'let it be told

• please narrate', 'rakṣasā': 'with/by the rākṣasa (demon)', 'bhīmasenasya': 'of Bhīmasena (Bhīma)', 'katham': 'how', 'āsīt': 'was, happened', 'samāgamaḥ': 'meeting, encounter, coming together'}

Speaker

धृतराष्ट उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Vidura (Kṣattṛ)
• Kirmīra
• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Rākṣasa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames dharmic storytelling as moral inquiry: a ruler seeks to understand how a dangerous force (a rākṣasa) was confronted and overcome, highlighting the value of hearing righteous deeds and the circumstances that lead to decisive action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra addresses Vidura and requests a narration of Kirmīra’s death, specifically asking how Bhīma came to meet and clash with the rākṣasa—introducing the episode of Kirmīra’s slaying.