Parva 4 of 18 · 67 adhyayas
विराटपर्व
Book of Virata
Virāṭa-parva
Setting: The kingdom of Matsya, court of King Virata, the thirteenth year incognito
Central figure: Draupadi as Sairandhri and Arjuna as Brihannala
Parva summary
The Pandavas must spend the thirteenth year unrecognised. Yudhishthira becomes Kanka, a dice-master; Bhima becomes Vallabha, the cook; Arjuna becomes Brihannala, the dance-teacher in the antahpura; Nakula tends horses, Sahadeva cattle; Draupadi serves as Sairandhri to Queen Sudeshna. Kichaka, the queen's brother, lusts after Sairandhri; Bhima crushes him in a midnight match. When Susharma and Duryodhana raid Matsya's cattle to flush out the Pandavas, Brihannala-Arjuna defends single-handedly using the Mohanastra, defeats Bhishma, Drona, Karna and Duryodhana, and the thirteenth year ends victorious.
Key episodes
- ●Pandavas choose their disguises
- ●Kichaka tries to seize Draupadi and is killed by Bhima
- ●Cattle raid on Matsya
- ●Arjuna takes up arms as Brihannala
- ●Mohanastra fells the Kuru army
- ●Uttara-Abhimanyu wedding
Central teaching
The wise can wear any mask without losing their core. Disguise is not deception when dharma is preserved.