Shloka 2
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
सूदकर्मणि हीने त्वमसमे भरतर्षभ । ब्रुवन् बललवजातीय: कस्य शोकं न वर्धये:,भरतर्षभ! जो तुम्हारे लिये सर्वथा अयोग्य है, ऐसे रसोइयेके नीच काममें लगे हो और अपनेको “बललव' जातिका मनुष्य बताते हो। इस अवस्थामें तुम्हें देखकर किसका शोक न बढ़ेगा?
sūdakarmaṇi hīne tvam asame bharatarṣabha | bruvan ballavajātīyaḥ kasya śokaṃ na vardhayet ||
ఓ భరతర్షభా! నీకు పూర్తిగా అనర్హమైన నీచ వంటకారి పనిలో నీవు నిమగ్నమై, నీను ‘బల్లవ’ జాతివాడినని చెప్పుకుంటున్నావు—ఈ స్థితిలో నిన్ను చూసి ఎవరి శోకం పెరగదు?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the tension between inner worth and outward role: a great person may accept a menial occupation due to dharmic necessity (protection, strategy, keeping vows), yet observers feel sorrow because social signs of honor appear diminished. It invites reflection on how dharma can require humility and concealment without reducing intrinsic nobility.
During the incognito period in Virāṭa’s kingdom, a high-born hero lives under an assumed identity and performs kitchen service as a cook, calling himself a Ballava. The narrator frames this as a pitiable sight—someone of eminent stature forced into an unbefitting, lowly role—thereby intensifying the emotional tone of exile and concealment.