Shloka 2
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
सूदकर्मणि हीने त्वमसमे भरतर्षभ । ब्रुवन् बललवजातीय: कस्य शोकं न वर्धये:
sūdakarmaṇi hīne tvam asame bharatarṣabha | bruvan ballavajātīyaḥ kasya śokaṃ na vardhayet ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik antara kaum Bharata! Engkau telah mengambil pekerjaan hina sebagai tukang masak—pekerjaan yang sama sekali tidak layak bagimu—dan engkau pula mengaku berasal daripada kaum Ballava. Melihat engkau dalam keadaan demikian, siapakah yang tidak bertambah dukanya?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between inner worth and outward role: a great person may accept a menial occupation due to dharmic necessity (protection, strategy, keeping vows), yet observers feel sorrow because social signs of honor appear diminished. It invites reflection on how dharma can require humility and concealment without reducing intrinsic nobility.
During the incognito period in Virāṭa’s kingdom, a high-born hero lives under an assumed identity and performs kitchen service as a cook, calling himself a Ballava. The narrator frames this as a pitiable sight—someone of eminent stature forced into an unbefitting, lowly role—thereby intensifying the emotional tone of exile and concealment.