Shloka 5
गन्धर्व एष वै हन्ता कीचकानां दुरात्मनाम् | व्याप्रानृक्षान् वराहांश्व॒ हतवान् स्त्रीपुरे तव,ये ही गन्धमादन पर्वतपर क्रोधवश नामवाले राक्षसोंको मारकर द्रौपदीके लिये दिव्य सौगन्धिक कमल ले आये थे। दुरात्मा कीचकोंका संहार करनेवाले गन्धर्व भी ये ही हैं। इन्होंने ही आपके अन्तःपुरमें अनेक व्याप्रों, भालुओं और वराहोंका वध किया है
arjuna uvāca | gandharva eṣa vai hantā kīcakānāṁ durātmanām | vyāghrān ṛkṣān varāhāṁś ca hatavān strīpure tava |
Arjuna disse: “Este mesmo Gandharva é, de fato, o exterminador dos perversos Kīcakas. Também matou tigres, ursos e javalis dentro dos teus aposentos das mulheres. Sabe que a força que puniu os violentos e protegeu os vulneráveis é o mesmo poder de que agora se fala—justiça que cai sobre o cruel e segurança restaurada aos que foram ofendidos.”
अर्जुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames violent action within a moral lens: force becomes legitimate when it restrains the wicked and protects those endangered. It implies that power should serve dharma—punishing predatory wrongdoing and restoring safety—rather than personal cruelty or domination.
Arjuna, speaking in the Virāṭa court context, identifies the supposed “Gandharva” as the one responsible for killing the wicked Kīcakas and for slaying dangerous beasts in the women’s quarters. This supports the explanation of how the threat to the palace women was removed and reinforces the account of Kīcaka’s downfall.