Mahabharata · 3.12.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
धृतराष्ट्र उवाच
किर्मीरस्य वधं क्षत्तः श्रोतुम् इच्छामि कथ्यताम् ॥
रक्षसा भीमसेनस्य कथम् आसीत् समागमः ॥
विदुर उवाच
शृणु भीमस्य कर्मेदम् अतिमानुषकर्मणः ॥
श्रुतपूर्वं मया तेषां कथान्तेषु पुनः पुनः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca
kirmīrasya vadhaṃ kṣattaḥ śrotum icchāmi kathyatām ||
rakṣasā bhīmasenasya katham āsīt samāgamaḥ ||
vidura uvāca
śṛṇu bhīmasya karmedam atimānuṣakarmaṇaḥ ||
śrutapūrvaṃ mayā teṣāṃ kathānteṣu punaḥ punaḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
धृतराष्ट्र उवाचdhṛtarāṣṭra uvācaDhritarashtra said
किर्मीरस्य वधं क्षत्तः श्रोतुम् इच्छामि कथ्यताम्kirmīrasya vadhaṃ kṣattaḥ śrotum icchāmi kathyatāmO kshatta, I wish to hear of the slaying of Kirmira; let it be told
रक्षसा भीमसेनस्य कथम् आसीत् समागमःrakṣasā bhīmasenasya katham āsīt samāgamaḥhow the meeting of the rakshasa with Bhimasena came about
विदुर उवाचvidura uvācaVidura said
शृणु भीमस्य कर्म इदम् अतिमानुषकर्मणःśṛṇu bhīmasya karma idam atimānuṣakarmaṇaḥhear this deed of Bhima, whose deeds are superhuman
श्रुतपूर्वं मया तेषां कथान्तेषु पुनः पुनःśrutapūrvaṃ mayā teṣāṃ kathānteṣu punaḥ punaḥit has been heard by me before, again and again, in tales about them
कर्मेदम्karmedamoriginal form "karmedam", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Dhritarashtra said: "O kshatta, I wish to hear of the slaying of Kirmira. Tell me how the rakshasa came to meet Bhimasena." Vidura answered: "Hear this deed of Bhima, whose deeds surpass human measure. I have heard it more than once in tales of the Pandavas."
Version
fdf914d78f95 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:44:34 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dhritarashtra asks about Kirmira not out of idle curiosity: Maitreya's curse has just bound Duryodhana's thigh to Bhima's strength. Vidura's account becomes a warning: the one the Kauravas despise has already shown how protecting power acts.