Shloka 20

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 21 — Kīcaka’s clandestine approach and Bhīma’s covert intervention (नर्तनागारे कीचकवध-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

ममेह भीम कैकेयी रूपाभिभवशड्कया । नित्यमुद्विजते राजा कथं नेयादिमामिति,भीम! केकयकुमारी सुदेष्णा यहाँ मेरे रूपसे पराजित होनेके कारण सदा इस शंकासे उद्विग्न रहती है कि राजा विराट किसी प्रकार इसपर आसक्त न हो जायूँ

Transliteration

mameha bhīma kaikeyī rūpābhibhavaśaṅkayā | nityam udvijate rājā kathaṁ neyād imām iti ||

Translation

ภีมกล่าวว่า “โอ ภีม ที่นี่สุเทษณา ธิดาแห่งแคว้นเคกยะ วิตกกังวลอยู่เสมอด้วยความหวั่นว่าความงามของนางจะพ่ายแพ้ต่อรูปโฉมของข้า นางระแวงไม่คลายว่า ‘จะทำอย่างไรจึงจะให้พระเจ้าวิราฏมิได้ทรงหลงใหลในสัยรันธรีผู้นั้น?’”

Word by Word

ममof me / my

इहhere

भीमO Bhima

कैकेयीKaikeyi (a woman of Kekaya)

रूपाभिभवशङ्कयाdue to the fear of being surpassed in beauty

नित्यम्always

उद्विजतेis anxious / is agitated

राजाthe king

कथम्how

नेयात्might lead / might take (to himself)

इमाम्this (woman) / me (as referred to)

इतिthus (quotative)

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bhīmasena

Sudeshṇā

Virāṭa

Kekaya

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 jealousy and fear of losing status can distort judgment and create suspicion. Ethically, it points to the need for self-restraint and clarity in relationships, especially in royal or power-laden settings where reputation and consent are easily compromised.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Virāṭa court episode, Bhīma explains that Queen Sudeshṇā is uneasy and suspicious because she fears being eclipsed by another woman’s beauty and worries that King Virāṭa might become attached to her. This anxiety shapes how the queen reacts and seeks to manage the situation.