Mahabharata 4.22.33 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 22, Shloka 33
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
त॑ गद्दरे प्रकाशे वा पोथयिष्यामि कीचकम् | अथ चेदपि योत्स्यन्ति हिंसे मत्स्यानपि ध्रुवम्
taṁ gaddare prakāśe vā pothayiṣyāmi kīcakam | atha ced api yotsyanti hiṁse matsyān api dhruvam ||
तं गद्गरे प्रकाशे वा पोथयिष्यामि कीचकम्। अथ चेदपि योत्स्यन्ति हिंसे मत्स्यानपि ध्रुवम्॥
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Adharma—especially the violation of a woman’s dignity—demands decisive restraint of the offender; yet the verse also highlights the ethical tension that righteous protection can threaten to spill into broader violence if others defend wrongdoing.
During the Pandavas’ incognito stay in Matsya, Bhima vows to kill Kichaka for his misconduct and declares that even if Matsya’s men support Kichaka and fight, he will defeat them too—signaling both protection and the danger of escalation.
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