Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 21

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas

Devanagari script

तस्य तत्‌ कुर्वतः कर्म कालो दीर्घ इवाभवत्‌ । अनुचिन्तयतश्नचापि तामेवायतलोचनाम्‌

Transliteration

tasya tat kurvataḥ karma kālo dīrgha ivābhavat | anucintayataś cāpi tām evāyatalocanām ||

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: Пока он занимался этим делом, время словно растянулось и стало долгим. И поскольку он снова и снова думал о той длинноокой женщине (Драупади), даже малое мгновение из-за беспокойной тоски казалось ему огромным сроком.

Word by Word

• तस्य: of him
• तस्य: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• कुर्वतः: while doing / of (him) doing
• कुर्वतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• कर्म: act, task
• कर्म: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: कर्मन्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

• कालः: time
• कालः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: काल
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• दीर्घः: long
• दीर्घः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दीर्घ
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

• इव: as if
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अभवत्: became, seemed
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: imperfect (लङ्), 3rd, singular, parasmaipada

• अनुचिन्तयतः: of (him) repeatedly thinking
• अनुचिन्तयतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Verb
• Root: अनु-चिन्त्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), masculine/neuter, genitive, singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अपि: even, also
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि

• ताम्: her
• ताम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• आयतलोचनाम्: the long-eyed (woman)
• आयतलोचनाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: आयत-लोचना
• Form: feminine, accusative, singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Draupadī (āyatalocanā)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Unchecked fixation and lust distort one’s sense of time and judgment, pushing a person toward unethical choices; the verse hints at how inner obsession becomes a driver of adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

While engaged in his undertaking, the man (contextually, Kīcaka in the Draupadī episode) keeps thinking of Draupadī; because of impatient longing, even a short interval feels unbearably long.