Shloka 43

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

Devanagari script

क्षत्रियस्य सदा धर्मों नान्य: शत्रुनिबर्हणात्‌ । पश्यतो धर्मराजस्य कीचको मां पदावधीत्‌,महाबली भीमसेन! क्षत्रियके लिये सदा शत्रुओंका संहार करनेके सिवा और कोई धर्म नहीं है। कीचकने धर्मराज युधिष्ठिरके देखते-देखते और तुम्हारी आँखोंके सामने मुझे लात मारी है। तुमने उस भयंकर राक्षस जटासुरसे मेरी रक्षा की है

Transliteration

bhīmasena uvāca | kṣatriyasya sadā dharmo nānyaḥ śatrunibarhaṇāt | paśyato dharmarājasya kīcako māṃ padāvadhīt |

Translation

สำหรับกษัตริย์ (กษัตริยะ) ย่อมไม่มีธรรมอื่นใดนอกจากการปราบปรามศัตรู ต่อหน้าธรรมราชยุธิษฐิระเอง กีจกะได้เตะข้าด้วยเท้า

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'kṣatriyasya', 'definition': 'of a kṣatriya (warrior-ruler class)'}, {'term': 'sadā', 'definition': 'always, at all times'}, {'term': 'dharmaḥ', 'definition': 'duty

• prescribed role'}, {'term': 'nānyaḥ', 'definition': 'no other'}, {'term': 'śatrunibarhaṇāt', 'definition': 'than the crushing/overthrowing of enemies (śatru = enemy

• nibarhaṇa = suppression, destruction)'}, {'term': 'paśyataḥ', 'definition': 'while (someone) is watching

• in the presence of'}, {'term': 'dharmarājasya', 'definition': 'of Dharmarāja

• epithet of Yudhiṣṭhira'}, {'term': 'kīcakaḥ', 'definition': 'Kīcaka, commander of Virāṭa’s forces

• brother of Sudeṣṇā'}, {'term': 'mām', 'definition': 'me'}, {'term': 'padā', 'definition': 'with the foot'}, {'term': 'avadhīt', 'definition': 'struck, smote, injured (aorist of √han/√vadh in sense ‘to strike/kill’)'}]

Speaker

भीमसेन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bhīmasena (Bhīma)
• Dharmarāja (Yudhiṣṭhira)
• Kīcaka

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames kṣatriya-dharma as the obligation to confront and subdue hostile wrongdoing, especially when honor is publicly violated. It highlights the tension between restraint (required by circumstances) and the warrior’s duty to answer adharma with decisive action.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Virāṭa court setting, Kīcaka has publicly humiliated Bhīma (in disguise) by kicking him, even while Yudhiṣṭhira watches. Bhīma voices indignation and invokes kṣatriya-duty as grounds for punishing Kīcaka, setting up the coming retaliation.