Mahabharata 4.13.20 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 13, Shloka 20
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 13 — Kīcaka’s Proposition and Draupadī’s Dharmic Refusal
नोद्यमानस्तदा भीमो दुःखेनैवाकरोन्मतिम् | न हि शक्नोति विवृते प्रत्याख्यातुं नराधिपम्
nodyamānas tadā bhīmo duḥkhenaivākaron matim | na hi śaknoti vivṛte pratyākhyātuṃ narādhipam ||
当时国王催促之下，毗摩因惧怕暴露身份而忧苦，却仍在悲怆中决意应战；因为他无法当众拒绝那位“人中之主”。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between prudence and duty: Bhīma must protect the larger dharmic goal of remaining undiscovered, yet he also cannot publicly defy the king’s command. It portrays self-restraint and strategic compliance under authority when a higher responsibility is at stake.
In the Virāṭa episode, Bhīma is living incognito. When the king urges action, Bhīma—despite anxiety about being recognized—decides to fight, because an open refusal would draw attention and would be improper toward the king.
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