Shloka 4
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
यदा महानसे सिद्धे विराटमुपतिष्ठसि । ब्रुवाणो बल्लव: सूदस्तदा सीदति मे मन:
yadā mahānase siddhe virāṭam upatiṣṭhasi | bruvāṇo ballavaḥ sūdās tadā sīdati me manaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Apabila masakan di dapur diraja telah siap, lalu engkau pergi menghadap Raja Virāṭa sambil mengumumkan, “Wahai Baginda, Ballava si tukang masak telah datang menjemput Baginda untuk santapan,” maka apabila aku mendengarnya, hatiku tenggelam dalam dukacita. Adegan itu menonjolkan beban penyamaran dan khidmat: insan mulia, dipaksa oleh keadaan, menyandang peranan hina, dan yang menyaksikan merasai beratnya pembalikan nasib itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of enforced concealment: even the worthy may accept menial service to uphold a larger dharma (survival, vows, and future justice). The listener’s sorrow reflects compassion for virtue placed under constraint and the dignity that persists even in humble duty.
After food is prepared in the royal kitchen, the speaker describes someone approaching King Virāṭa and formally announcing that ‘Ballava, the cook,’ has come to invite him to eat. Hearing this announcement makes the narrator’s mind sink—because it evokes the painful spectacle of a significant person living under a servant’s guise.