Virata

Virata is a proper name in Sanskrit literature, most prominently associated with the Mahabharata. The word is sometimes interpreted as meaning “vast” or “universal,” and in the epic it designates both a king and the kingdom he rules. The king of the Matsya Kingdom is named Virata, a ruler who fosters the circumstances in which the Pandavas spend the incognito year of exile.

In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas take shelter in Virata’s court during the thirteenth year of their exile, living in disguise while remaining within the borders of his realm. The period is marked by courtly life, political maneuvering, and personal peril, including the notorious harassment of Draupadi by Kichaka, the commander of Virata’s forces. Bhima, along with his brothers, operates within the court under disguise, and the ensuing events culminate in the exposure of the Pandavas’ identities and preparations for the next phase of conflict.

The Virata Parva, the third book of the Mahabharata, centers on these events and their consequences. It provides the transitional arc between the Pandavas’ exile and their return to Hastinapura, highlighting the political dynamics of Virata’s kingdom and the resilience of its people during a time of upheaval.

Beyond the epic, Virata has also been used as a given name in Indian culture and appears in modern literary and fictional contexts. The figure remains a symbol of allegiance, strategy, and the complexities of royal court life in ancient Indian storytelling.