Shloka 38
इत्युक्त: कुपितो राजा मत्स्य: पाण्डवमब्रवीत् | समं॑ पुत्रेण मे षण्ढं ब्रह्म॒ुबन्धो प्रशंससि,यह सुनते ही मत्स्यनरेश कुपित हो उठे और पाण्डुनन्दनसे बोले--'अधम ब्राह्मण! तू मेरे पुत्रके समान एक हिजड़ेकी प्रशंसा करता है!
ity uktaḥ kupito rājā matsyaḥ pāṇḍavam abravīt | samaṁ putreṇa me ṣaṇḍhaṁ brahmabandho praśaṁsasi |
Mendengar kata-kata itu, Raja Matsya menyala dalam murka lalu berkata kepada putera Pāṇḍu: “Wahai Brahmana hina! Engkau memuji sida-sida itu seolah-olah setara dengan anak lelakiku!”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and attachment to status can distort judgment: the king reacts to perceived disrespect by resorting to abusive labels, illustrating a lapse from dharma in speech and discernment.
In the Virāṭa court episode, King Matsya (Virāṭa) becomes furious at a Pāṇḍava (in disguise) for praising a person he derides as a ‘ṣaṇḍha’ as being equal to his own son, and he rebukes the speaker with the insult ‘brahmabandhu’.