तम् उवाच ततो राजा दीर्घप्रज्ञो युधिष्ठिरः ॥
को भवान् कस्य वा किं ते क्रियतां कार्यम् उच्यताम् ॥
प्रत्युवाचाथ तद् रक्षो धर्मराजं युधिष्ठिरम् ॥
अहं बकस्य वै भ्राता किर्मीर इति विश्रुतः ॥
वने ऽस्मिन् काम्यके शून्ये निवसामि गतज्वरः ॥
युधि निर्जित्य पुरुषान् आहारं नित्यम् आचरन् ॥
के यूयम् इह संप्राप्ता भक्ष्यभूता ममान्तिकम् ॥
युधि निर्जित्य वः सर्वान् भक्षयिष्ये गतज्वरः ॥
युधिष्ठिरस् तु तच् छ्रुत्वा वचस् तस्य दुरात्मनः ॥
आचचक्षे ततः सर्वं गोत्रनामादि भारत ॥
पाण्डवो धर्मराजो ऽहं यदि ते श्रोत्रम् आगतः ॥
सहितो भ्रातृभिः सर्वैर् भीमसेनार्जुनादिभिः ॥
हृतराज्यो वने वासं वस्तुं कृतमतिस् ततः ॥
वनम् अभ्यागतो घोरम् इदं तव परिग्रहम् ॥
किर्मीरस् त्व् अब्रवीद् एनं दिष्ट्या देवैर् इदं मम ॥
उपपादितम् अद्येह चिरकालान् मनोगतम् ॥
भीमसेनवधार्थं हि नित्यम् अभ्युद्यतायुधः ॥
चरामि पृथिवीं कृत्स्नां नैनम् आसादयाम्य् अहम् ॥
सो ऽयम् आसादितो दिष्ट्या भ्रातृहा काङ्क्षितश् चिरम् ॥
अनेन हि मम भ्राता बको विनिहतः प्रियः ॥
वेत्रकीयगृहे राजन् ब्राह्मणच्छद्मरूपिणा ॥
विद्याबलम् उपाश्रित्य न ह्य् अस्त्य् अस्यौरसं बलम् ॥
हिडिम्बश् च सखा मह्यं दयितो वनगोचरः ॥
हतो दुरात्मनानेन स्वसा चास्य हृता पुरा ॥
सो ऽयम् अभ्यागतो मूढो ममेदं गहनं वनम् ॥
प्रचारसमये ऽस्माकम् अर्धरात्रे समास्थिते ॥
अद्यास्य यातयिष्यामि तद् वैरं चिरसंभृतम् ॥
तर्पयिष्यामि च बकं रुधिरेणास्य भूरिणा ॥
अद्याहम् अनृणो भूत्वा भ्रातुः सख्युस् तथैव च ॥
शान्तिं लब्धास्मि परमां हत्व राक्षसकण्टकम् ॥
यदि तेन पुरा मुक्तो भीमसेनो बकेन वै ॥
अद्यैनं भक्षयिष्यामि पश्यतस् ते युधिष्ठिर ॥
एनं हि विपुलप्राणम् अद्य हत्वा वृकोदरम् ॥
संभक्ष्य जरयिष्यामि यथागस्त्यो महासुरम् ॥
tam uvāca tato rājā dīrghaprajño yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
ko bhavān kasya vā kiṃ te kriyatāṃ kāryam ucyatām ||
pratyuvācātha tad rakṣo dharmarājaṃ yudhiṣṭhiram ||
ahaṃ bakasya vai bhrātā kirmīra iti viśrutaḥ ||
vane 'smin kāmyake śūnye nivasāmi gatajvaraḥ ||
yudhi nirjitya puruṣān āhāraṃ nityam ācaran ||
ke yūyam iha saṃprāptā bhakṣyabhūtā mamāntikam ||
yudhi nirjitya vaḥ sarvān bhakṣayiṣye gatajvaraḥ ||
yudhiṣṭhiras tu tac chrutvā vacas tasya durātmanaḥ ||
ācacakṣe tataḥ sarvaṃ gotranāmādi bhārata ||
pāṇḍavo dharmarājo 'haṃ yadi te śrotram āgataḥ ||
sahito bhrātṛbhiḥ sarvair bhīmasenārjunādibhiḥ ||
hṛtarājyo vane vāsaṃ vastuṃ kṛtamatis tataḥ ||
vanam abhyāgato ghoram idaṃ tava parigraham ||
kirmīras tv abravīd enaṃ diṣṭyā devair idaṃ mama ||
upapāditam adyeha cirakālān manogatam ||
bhīmasenavadhārthaṃ hi nityam abhyudyatāyudhaḥ ||
carāmi pṛthivīṃ kṛtsnāṃ nainam āsādayāmy aham ||
so 'yam āsādito diṣṭyā bhrātṛhā kāṅkṣitaś ciram ||
anena hi mama bhrātā bako vinihataḥ priyaḥ ||
vetrakīyagṛhe rājan brāhmaṇacchadmarūpiṇā ||
vidyābalam upāśritya na hy asty asyaurasaṃ balam ||
hiḍimbaś ca sakhā mahyaṃ dayito vanagocaraḥ ||
hato durātmanānena svasā cāsya hṛtā purā ||
so 'yam abhyāgato mūḍho mamedaṃ gahanaṃ vanam ||
pracārasamaye 'smākam ardharātre samāsthite ||
adyāsya yātayiṣyāmi tad vairaṃ cirasaṃbhṛtam ||
tarpayiṣyāmi ca bakaṃ rudhireṇāsya bhūriṇā ||
adyāham anṛṇo bhūtvā bhrātuḥ sakhyus tathaiva ca ||
śāntiṃ labdhāsmi paramāṃ hatva rākṣasakaṇṭakam ||
yadi tena purā mukto bhīmaseno bakena vai ||
adyainaṃ bhakṣayiṣyāmi paśyatas te yudhiṣṭhira ||
enaṃ hi vipulaprāṇam adya hatvā vṛkodaram ||
saṃbhakṣya jarayiṣyāmi yathāgastyo mahāsuram ||
Yudhishthira then said to him, the far-seeing king: "Who are you? Whose are you? What shall be done for you? Speak your purpose." The rakshasa replied to Dharmaraja Yudhishthira: "I am the brother of Baka, known as Kirmira. In this empty forest of Kamyaka I dwell free of care, defeating men in battle and making them my constant food. Who are you, come here to me as prey? Having conquered you all in battle, I shall calmly devour you." Yudhishthira, hearing this speech of the evil-souled one, then told him everything -- his lineage, names, and all, O Bharata: "I am a Pandava, Dharmaraja, if this has reached your ears, together with all my brothers -- Bhimasena, Arjuna, and the rest. Deprived of my kingdom, I resolved to dwell in the forest, and so I have come into this dreadful forest, your domain." But Kirmira said to him: "By good fortune, the gods have today granted here what has long been in my heart. For the sake of slaying Bhimasena I have always kept my weapon raised; I roam the whole earth, yet I could not find him. And now, by good fortune, this killer of my brother, long desired, has been found. For it was he who slew my beloved brother Baka, in the house of Vetrakiya, O king, disguised in the form of a brahmin, relying on the strength of learning, since he has no strength of his own. And Hidimba too, my dear friend who dwelt in the forest, was slain by this evil-souled one, and long ago his sister was carried off by him. And now this fool has come into my dense forest, at the hour of our roaming, when midnight has arrived. Today I shall repay him for that long-cherished enmity, and satisfy Baka with his abundant blood. Today, freed from the debt owed to my brother and my friend alike, I shall attain the highest peace, having slain this thorn among rakshasas. If once Bhimasena was released by Baka, today I shall devour him before your very eyes, Yudhishthira. Having slain this Vrikodara of vast vital strength today, I shall eat him and digest him, as Agastya digested the great asura."
501eda7e50e6 · publicado 16 jul 2026, 16:44:34 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
Even before a monster, Yudhishthira begins with a question, not a blow. Dharma does not do away with strength, but gives it order: first find out who stands before you and what he wants. Kirmira, for his part, lays his own heart bare -- he is driven by the memory of grievance, by vengeance, and by a distorted measure of Bhima's strength.