Shloka 32

Devanagari script

पृष्ठतस्तु वरारोहा श्यामा पद्मदलेक्षणा । द्रौपदी योषितां श्रेष्ठा ययौ भरतसत्तम,भरतश्रेष्ठ) इन सबके पीछे सुन्दर शरीरवाली, श्यामवर्णा, कमलदललोचना, युवतियोंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रौपदी चल रही थी

Transliteration

pṛṣṭhatas tu varārohā śyāmā padmadalekṣaṇā | draupadī yoṣitāṃ śreṣṭhā yayau bharatasattama ||

Translation

قال فَيَشَمْبَايَنَة: وخلفهم كانت تمشي دروبدي، خير النساء، رشيقة القوام، سمراء اللون، عيناها كبتلات اللوتس.

Word by Word

पृष्ठतःfrom behind; behind

तुbut; indeed

वरारोहाa noble/beautiful woman (lit. one of excellent ascent/figure)

श्यामाdark-complexioned

पद्मदल-ईक्षणाlotus-petal-eyed

द्रौपदीDraupadi

योषिताम्of women

श्रेष्ठाthe best; foremost

ययौwent; proceeded

भरतसत्तमO best of the Bharatas

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Draupadī

Bharatasattama (addressee, traditionally Janamejaya)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights steadfastness and dignity in the face of life’s final transition: Draupadī, celebrated for beauty and excellence, is shown not in triumph but in disciplined following—suggesting that true worth is tested and revealed in renunciation and endurance rather than in outward status.

What is happening in the narrative?

During the Mahāprasthāna (the great departure), the group proceeds onward, and Draupadī is described as walking behind the others. The narrator emphasizes her distinguishing features and her eminent status among women while situating her within the ordered movement of the journey.