Virata Parva, Mahabharata/ Book IV Chapter 2
Mahabharata Book IV Chapter 2:English
SECTION II
Bhima said, "I intend to present myself before the lord of Virata as a cook bearing the name of Vallabha. I am skilled in culinary art, and I shall prepare curries for the king, and excelling all those skilful cooks that had hitherto dressed his food I shall gratify the monarch. And I shall carry mighty loads of wood. And witnessing that mighty feat, the monarch will be pleased. And, O Bharata, beholding such superhuman feats of mine, the servants of the royal household will honour me as a king. And I shall have entire control over all kinds of viands and drinks. And commanded to subdue powerful elephants and mighty bulls, I will do as bidden. And if any combatants will fight with me in the lists, then
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will I vanquish them, and thereby entertain the monarch. But I shall not take the life of any of them. I shall only bring them down in such way that they may not be killed. And on being asked as regards my antecedent I shall say that--Formerly I was the wrestler and cook of Yudhishthira. Thus shall I, O king, maintain myself."
Yudhishthira said, "And what office will be performed by that mighty descendant of the Kurus, Dhananjaya, the son of Kunti, that foremost of men possessed of long arms, invincible in fight, and before whom, while he was staying with Krishna, the divine Agni himself desirous of consuming the forest of Khandava had formerly appeared in the guise of a Brahmana? What office will be performed by that best of warriors, Arjuna, who proceeded to that forest and gratified Agni, vanquishing on a single car and slaying huge Nagas and Rakshasas, and who married the sister of Vasuki himself, the king of the Nagas? Even as the sun is the foremost of all heat-giving bodies, as the Brahmana is the best of all bipeds, as the cobra is the foremost of all serpents, as Fire is the first of all things possessed of energy, as the thunderbolt is the foremost of all weapons, as the humped bull is the foremost of all animals of the bovine breed, as the ocean is the foremost of all watery expanses, as clouds charged with rain are the foremost of all clouds, as Ananta is the first of all Nagas, as Airavata is the foremost of all elephants, as the son is the foremost of all beloved objects, and lastly, as the wife is the best of all friends, so, O Vrikodara, is the youthful Gudakesa, the foremost of all bowmen. And O Bharata, what office will be performed by Vibhatsu, the wielder of Gandiva, whose car is drawn by white horses, and who is not inferior to Indra or Vasudeva Himself? What office will be performed by Arjuna who, dwelling for five years in the abode of the thousand-eyed Deity (Indra) shining in celestial lustre, acquired by his own energy the science of superhuman arms with all celestial weapons, and whom I regard as the tenth Rudra, the thirteenth Aditya, the ninth Vasu, and the tenth Graha, whose arms, symmetrical and long, have the skin hardened by constant strokes of the bowstring and cicatrices which resemble those on the humps of bulls,--that foremost of warriors who is as Himavat among mountains, the ocean among expanses of water, Sakra among the celestial, Havya-vaha (fire) among the Vasus, the tiger among beasts, and Garuda among feathery tribes!"
Arjuna replied, "O lord of the Earth, I will declare myself as one of the neuter sex. O monarch, it is, indeed difficult to hide the marks of the bowstring on my arms. I will, however, cover both my cicatrized arms with bangles. Wearing brilliant rings on my ears and conch-bangles on my wrists and causing a braid to hang down from my head, I shall, O king, appear as one of the third sex, Brihannala by name. And living as a female I shall (always) entertain the king and the inmates of the inner apartments by reciting stories. And, O king, I shall also instruct the women of Virata's palace in singing and delightful modes of dancing
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and in musical instruments of diverse kinds. And I shall also recite the various excellent acts of men and thus conceal myself, O son of Kunti, by feigning disguise. And, O Bharata should the king enquire, I will say that, I lived as a waiting maid of Draupadi in Yudhishthira's palace. And, O foremost of kings, concealing myself by this means, as fire is concealed by ashes, I shall pass my days agreeably in the palace of Virata."
Vaisampayana continued, "Having said this, Arjuna, that best of men and foremost of virtuous persons, became silent. Then the king addressed another brother of his." 1
Footnotes
4:1 This speech of Vaisampayana is not included in some texts within the second section. To include it, however, in the third, is evidently a mistake.
Mahabharata Book IV Chapter 2:Sanskrit
1 [भम]
पौरॊगवॊ बरुवाणॊ ऽहं बल्लवॊ नाम नामतः
उपस्दास्यामि राजानं विराटम इति मे मतिः
2 सूपानस्य करिष्यामि कुशलॊ ऽसमि महानसे
कृतपूर्वाणि यैर अस्य वयञ्जनानि सुशिक्षितैः
तान अप्य अभिभविष्यामि परीतिं संजनयन्न अहम
3 आहरिष्यामि थारूणां निचयान महतॊ ऽपि च
तत परेक्ष्य विपुलं कर्म राजा परीतॊ भविष्यति
4 थविपा वा बलिनॊ राजन वृषभा वा महाबलाः
विनिग्राह्या यथि मया निग्रहीष्यामि तान अपि
5 ये च के चिन नियॊत्स्यन्ति समाजेषु नियॊधकाः
तान अहं निहनिष्यामि परीतिं तस्य विवर्धयन
6 न तव एतान युध्यमानां वै हनिष्यामि कदं चन
तदैतान पातयिष्यामि यदा यास्यन्ति न कषयम
7 आरालिकॊ गॊविकर्ता सूपकर्ता नियॊधकः
आसं युधिष्ठिरस्याहम इति वक्ष्यामि पृच्छतः
8 आत्मानम आत्मना रक्षंश चरिष्यामि विशां पते
इत्य एतत परतिजानामि विहरिष्याम्य अहं यदा
9 यम अग्निर बराह्मणॊ भूत्वा समागच्छन नृणां वरम
थिधक्षुः खाण्डवं थावं थाशार्ह सहितं पुरा
10 महाबलं महाबाहुम अजितं कुरुनन्थनम
सॊ ऽयं किं कर्म कौन्तेयः करिष्यति धनंजयः
11 यॊ ऽयम आसाथ्य तं तावं तर्पयाम आस पावकम
विजित्यैक रदेनेन्थ्रं हत्वा पन्नगरक्षसान
शरेष्ठः परतियुधां नाम सॊ ऽरजुनः किं करिष्यति
12 सूर्यः परपततां शरेष्ठॊ थविपथां बराह्मणॊ वरः
आशीविषश च सर्पाणाम अग्निस तेजस्विनां वरः
13 आयुधानां वरॊ वर्जः ककुथ्मी च गवां वरः
हरथानाम उथधिः शरेष्ठः पर्जन्यॊ वर्षतां वरः
14 धृतराष्ट्रश च नागानां हस्तिष्व ऐरावतॊ वरः
पुत्रः परियाणाम अधिकॊ भार्या च सुहृथां वरा
15 यदैतानि विशिष्टानि जात्यां जात्यां वृकॊथर
एवं युवा गुडाकेशः शरेष्ठः सर्वधनुर्मताम
16 सॊ ऽयम इन्थ्राथ अनवरॊ वासुथेवाच च भारत
गाण्डीवधन्वा शवेताश्वॊ बीभत्सुः किं करिष्यति
17 उषित्वा पञ्चवर्षाणि सहस्राक्षस्य वेश्मनि
थिव्यान्य अस्त्राण्य अवाप्तानि थेवरूपेण भास्वता
18 यं मन्ये थवाथशं रुथ्रम आथित्यानां तरयॊथशम
यस्य बाहू समौ थीर्घौ जया घातकठिन तवचौ
थक्षिणे चैव सव्ये च गवाम इव वहः कृतः
19 हिमवान इव शैलानां समुथ्रः सरिताम इव
तरिथशानां यदा शक्रॊ वसूनाम इव हव्यवाः
20 मृगाणाम इव शार्थूलॊ गरुडः पतताम इव
वरः संनह्यमानानाम अर्जुनः किं करिष्यति
21 परतिज्ञां षण्ढकॊ ऽसमीति करिष्यामि महीपते
जया घातौ हि महान्तौ मे संवर्तुं नृप थुष्करौ
22 कर्णयॊः परतिमुच्याहं कुण्डले जवलनॊपमे
वेणी कृतशिरॊ राजन नाम्ना चैव बृहन्नडा
23 पठन्न आख्यायिकां नाम सत्रीभावेन पुनः पुनः
रमयिष्ये महीपालम अन्यांश चान्तःपुरे जनान
24 गीतं नृत्तं विचित्रं च वाथित्रं विविधं तदा
शिक्षयिष्याम्य अहं राजन विराट भवने सत्रियः
25 परजानां समुथाचारं बहु कर्मकृतं वथन
छाथयिष्यामि कौन्तेय माययात्मानम आत्मना
26 युधिष्ठिरस्य गेहे ऽसमि थरौपथ्याः परिचारिका
उषितास्मीति वक्ष्यामि पृष्टॊ राज्ञा च भारत
27 एतेन विधिना छन्नः कृतकेन यदा नलः
विहरिष्यामि राजेन्थ्र विराट भवने सुखम
Mahabharata Book IV Chapter 2:Transliteration
1 [bhm]
paurogavo bruvāṇo 'haṃ ballavo nāma nāmataḥ
upasthāsyāmi rājānaṃ virāṭam iti me matiḥ
2 sūpānasya kariṣyāmi kuśalo 'smi mahānase
kṛtapūrvāṇi yair asya vyañjanāni suśikṣitaiḥ
tān apy abhibhaviṣyāmi prītiṃ saṃjanayann aham
3 āhariṣyāmi dārūṇāṃ nicayān mahato 'pi ca
tat prekṣya vipulaṃ karma rājā prīto bhaviṣyati
4 dvipā vā balino rājan vṛṣabhā vā mahābalāḥ
vinigrāhyā yadi mayā nigrahīṣyāmi tān api
5 ye ca ke cin niyotsyanti samājeṣu niyodhakāḥ
tān ahaṃ nihaniṣyāmi prītiṃ tasya vivardhayan
6 na tv etān yudhyamānāṃ vai haniṣyāmi kathaṃ cana
tathaitān pātayiṣyāmi yathā yāsyanti na kṣayam
7 ārāliko govikartā sūpakartā niyodhakaḥ
āsaṃ yudhiṣṭhirasyāham iti vakṣyāmi pṛcchataḥ
8 ātmānam ātmanā rakṣaṃś cariṣyāmi viśāṃ pate
ity etat pratijānāmi vihariṣyāmy ahaṃ yathā
9 yam agnir brāhmaṇo bhūtvā samāgacchan nṛṇāṃ varam
didhakṣuḥ khāṇḍavaṃ dāvaṃ dāśārha sahitaṃ purā
10 mahābalaṃ mahābāhum ajitaṃ kurunandanam
so 'yaṃ kiṃ karma kaunteyaḥ kariṣyati dhanaṃjayaḥ
11 yo 'yam āsādya taṃ tāvaṃ tarpayām āsa pāvakam
vijityaika rathenendraṃ hatvā pannagarakṣasān
śreṣṭhaḥ pratiyudhāṃ nāma so 'rjunaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati
12 sūryaḥ prapatatāṃ śreṣṭho dvipadāṃ brāhmaṇo varaḥ
āśīviṣaś ca sarpāṇām agnis tejasvināṃ varaḥ
13 āyudhānāṃ varo varjaḥ kakudmī ca gavāṃ varaḥ
hradānām udadhiḥ śreṣṭhaḥ parjanyo varṣatāṃ varaḥ
14 dhṛtarāṣṭraś ca nāgānāṃ hastiṣv airāvato varaḥ
putraḥ priyāṇām adhiko bhāryā ca suhṛdāṃ varā
15 yathaitāni viśiṣṭāni jātyāṃ jātyāṃ vṛkodara
evaṃ yuvā guḍākeśaḥ śreṣṭhaḥ sarvadhanurmatām
16 so 'yam indrād anavaro vāsudevāc ca bhārata
gāṇḍīvadhanvā śvetāśvo bībhatsuḥ kiṃ kariṣyati
17 uṣitvā pañcavarṣāṇi sahasrākṣasya veśmani
divyāny astrāṇy avāptāni devarūpeṇa bhāsvatā
18 yaṃ manye dvādaśaṃ rudram ādityānāṃ trayodaśam
yasya bāhū samau dīrghau jyā ghātakaṭhina tvacau
dakṣiṇe caiva savye ca gavām iva vahaḥ kṛtaḥ
19 himavān iva śailānāṃ samudraḥ saritām iva
tridaśānāṃ yathā śakro vasūnām iva havyavāḥ
20 mṛgāṇām iva śārdūlo garuḍaḥ patatām iva
varaḥ saṃnahyamānānām arjunaḥ kiṃ kariṣyati
21 pratijñāṃ ṣaṇḍhako 'smīti kariṣyāmi mahīpate
jyā ghātau hi mahāntau me saṃvartuṃ nṛpa duṣkarau
22 karṇayoḥ pratimucyāhaṃ kuṇḍale jvalanopame
veṇī kṛtaśiro rājan nāmnā caiva bṛhannaḍā
23 paṭhann ākhyāyikāṃ nāma strībhāvena punaḥ punaḥ
ramayiṣye mahīpālam anyāṃś cāntaḥpure janān
24 gītaṃ nṛttaṃ vicitraṃ ca vāditraṃ vividhaṃ tathā
śikṣayiṣyāmy ahaṃ rājan virāṭa bhavane striyaḥ
25 prajānāṃ samudācāraṃ bahu karmakṛtaṃ vadan
chādayiṣyāmi kaunteya māyayātmānam ātmanā
26 yudhiṣṭhirasya gehe 'smi draupadyāḥ paricārikā
uṣitāsmīti vakṣyāmi pṛṣṭo rājñā ca bhārata
27 etena vidhinā channaḥ kṛtakena yathā nalaḥ
vihariṣyāmi rājendra virāṭa bhavane sukham