Shloka 52

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

Devanagari script

ततो जग्राह केशेषु माल्यवत्सु महाबल: । स केशेषु परामृष्टो बलेन बलिनां वर:

Transliteration

tato jagrāha keśeṣu mālyavatsu mahābalaḥ | sa keśeṣu parāmṛṣṭo balena balināṃ varaḥ ||

Translation

அப்போது மகாபலன், மாலைகளால் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்ட அவன் தலைமுடியைப் பிடித்தான். இவ்வாறு வலிமைமிக்கவர்களில் சிறந்தவன், வலுக்கட்டாயமாக தலைமுடியால் பிடிக்கப்பட்டான்।

Word by Word

ततःthen; thereupon

जग्राहseized; grasped

केशेषुin/at the hair (by the hair)

माल्यवत्सुgarlanded; having garlands

महाबलःthe very strong one

सःhe

केशेषुin/at the hair (by the hair)

परामृष्टःtouched; seized; grabbed

बलेनby force; with strength

बलिनाम्of the strong (men)

वरःthe best; the foremost

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

mahābalaḥ (a mighty person, unnamed here)

balināṃ varaḥ (the foremost among the strong, unnamed here)

mālya (garlands)

keśa (hair)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how physical domination—especially acts meant to shame, such as seizing someone by the hair—marks a moral and social escalation in conflict. It implicitly contrasts strength used for righteous restraint with strength used for humiliation and coercion.

What is happening in the narrative?

A powerful figure grabs another person by the hair, described as garlanded, and forcibly handles him. The language emphasizes raw strength and the degrading nature of the act, indicating a turning point toward harsher confrontation.