Shloka 7
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
तस्यां रात्र्यां व्यतीतायां प्रातरुत्थाय कीचक: । गत्वा राजकुलायैव द्रौपदीमिदमब्रवीत्,वह रात बीत जानेपर कीचक सबेरे उठा और राजमहलमें जाकर द्रौपदीसे इस प्रकार बोला--
tasyāṃ rātryāṃ vyatītāyāṃ prātar utthāya kīcakaḥ | gatvā rājakulāyaiva draupadīm idam abravīt ||
Setelah malam itu berlalu, Kīcaka bangun pada waktu pagi dan pergi terus ke kawasan istana. Di sana dia berkata kepada Draupadī seperti berikut—
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a moral tension: a powerful court figure approaches a vulnerable woman within the palace setting. It foreshadows the ethical theme that authority without restraint becomes adharma, and that dharma requires protection of those placed at risk by power.
After the night passes, Kīcaka rises in the morning and goes to the royal quarters, where Draupadī resides in disguise, and begins speaking to her—introducing the next exchange that drives the Kīcaka–Draupadī episode forward.