Shloka 10
विराट उवाच ददामि ते हन्त वरं बृहन्नले सुतां च मे नर्तय याश्व तादृशी: । इदं तु ते कर्म सम॑ न मे मतं समुद्रनेमिं पृथिवीं त्वमहसि,विराट बोले--बृहन्ले! मैं तुम्हें अभीष्ट वर देता हूँ। तुम मेरी पुत्रीको तथा उसके समान अवस्थावाली अन्य राजकुमारियोंको नृत्यकला सिखलाओ। परंतु मुझे यह कर्म तुम्हारे योग्य नहीं जान पड़ता। तुम तो समुद्रसे घिरी हुई सम्पूर्ण पृथ्वीके शासक होने योग्य हो
virāṭa uvāca—dadāmi te hanta varaṃ bṛhannale sutāṃ ca me nartaya yāś ca tādṛśīḥ | idaṃ tu te karma samaṃ na me mataṃ samudranemiṃ pṛthivīṃ tvam arhasi ||
Virāṭa disse: “Vem, Bṛhannalā, concedo-te o favor que desejas. Ensina à minha filha — e às outras princesas de idade semelhante — a arte da dança. Contudo, não creio que este ofício te seja verdadeiramente adequado; és digno de governar toda a terra, cingida pelo oceano.”
विराट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment in dharma: a king should honor talent and grant fitting rewards, yet also recognize when a person’s true capacity exceeds their present role. Virāṭa’s praise—‘worthy to rule the ocean-girdled earth’—underscores respect for latent greatness even when it is concealed by circumstance.
In the Virāṭa court during the Pāṇḍavas’ incognito year, Virāṭa addresses Bṛhannalā (Arjuna in disguise). He grants the requested boon and appoints Bṛhannalā to teach dance to his daughter and other princesses, while expressing that such work seems beneath Bṛhannalā’s apparent stature and nobility.