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4. Virata Parva
The Book of Virata · 72 adhyayas
The year of concealment — the Pandavas live disguised in the court of King Virata of Matsya. Yudhishthira as the brahmin Kanka, Bhima as the cook Vallabha, Arjuna as the dance teacher Brihannala, Nakula and Sahadeva tending horses and cattle, and Draupadi as the maid Sairandhri. Bhima kills Kichaka for his advances, and at the end Arjuna alone routs the Kaurava army and reveals himself.
Key Episodes
- The disguises taken by the five brothers and Draupadi
- Draupadi as Sairandhri, and the killing of Kichaka
- The cattle raid — the Kauravas stealing Virata's herds
- Arjuna casting off Brihannala's guise to defeat the whole Kaurava army alone
- Prince Uttara fleeing, and Arjuna taking the reins
- The year completed, and the marriage of Abhimanyu and Uttaraa