Mahabharata 4.2.9 — Virata Parva, Adhyaya 2, Shloka 9
भीमस्य बल्लव-प्रतिज्ञा तथा अर्जुनस्य बृहन्नडा-रूप-निर्णयः
Bhīma’s Ballava Vow and Arjuna’s Decision to Become Bṛhannadā
आरालिको गोविकर्ता सूपकर्ता नियोधक: । आसं युधिष्ठटिरस्याहमिति वक्ष्यामि पृच्छत:
ārālikaḥ govikartā sūpakartā niyodhakaḥ | āsaṃ yudhiṣṭhirasya aham iti vakṣyāmi pṛcchataḥ ||
毗摩塞那说道：“若国王问起，我便答道：我曾在由提施提罗王处服役，做过 ārālika（驯象师）、驯牛者、厨师，以及摔跤手。”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
True strength can express itself through restraint and service. Bhīma accepts a humble public role to protect a higher obligation—keeping the exile-vow intact and avoiding premature violence—showing that dharma may require patience, concealment, and disciplined self-control.
During the incognito year, the Pāṇḍavas plan their assumed identities. Bhīma states that if anyone asks, he will claim to have been employed under Yudhiṣṭhira as an animal-tamer, cook, and wrestler—roles that fit his power while keeping their true identities hidden.
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