Shloka 20
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 25: Kaurava Deliberation and the Search Directive (अन्वेषण-आदेशः)
येन त्रिगर्ता निहता बलेन महता नृप । सूतेन राज्ञों मत्स्यस्य कीचकेन बलीयसा
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
yena trigartā nihatā balena mahatā nṛpa |
sūtena rājño matsyasya kīcakena balīyasā ||
… gandharvair asau duṣṭātmā sahodara-bhrātṛbhiḥ saha rātrau gupta-rūpeṇa nihataḥ |
sa idānīṃ śmaśāna-bhūmau patitaḥ supta iva tiṣṭhati ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó rei, outrora aqueles Trigartas foram esmagados pela grande força de Kīcaka — o poderoso filho do cocheiro, que servia ao rei Virāṭa de Matsya. Esse mesmo homem de alma perversa foi agora morto à noite, em segredo, juntamente com seus próprios irmãos, pelos Gandharvas. Agora jaz caído no campo de cremação, como se dormisse.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Power gained through wrongdoing and arrogance is unstable; the ‘duṣṭātmā’ meets a sudden, shame-marked end (lying in the cremation-ground). The verse frames moral consequence and social disgrace as inseparable from violent misconduct.
Vaiśampāyana reports that Kīcaka—previously famed for crushing the Trigartas with a great force—has now been killed at night, secretly, along with his brothers, by ‘Gandharvas’ (a cover-story for unknown assailants). His body lies in the cremation-ground.