Shloka 37

द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality

Devanagari script

यदा च शोचत: शोको व्यसनं नापकर्षति

Transliteration

yadā ca śocataḥ śoko vyasanaṃ nāpakarṣati

Translation

قال فايشَمبايانا: «وحين يكون المرء في حزنٍ، فلا يقدر الحزنُ أن يَدفعَ البلاءَ الذي نزل به، تصبحُ النياحةُ عقيمة؛ فعندئذٍ ينبغي أن يُعرض عن الأسى إلى الثبات والعمل القويم وفق الدَّرْمَا.»

Word by Word

• यदा: when
• यदा: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा
• Form: temporal adverb

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च
• Form: conjunction

• शोचतः: of one who is grieving
• शोचतः: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोचत्
• Form: masculine, genitive singular

• शोकः: grief
• शोकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शोक
• Form: masculine, nominative singular

• व्यसनम्: calamity; misfortune
• व्यसनम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: व्यसन
• Form: neuter, accusative singular

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न
• Form: negation particle

• अपकर्षति: removes; draws away
• Type: Verb
• Root: अपकृष्
• Form: present tense (lat), parasmaipada, 3rd person singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

If grief cannot remove the misfortune, then mere lamentation is unproductive; one should restrain sorrow and move toward composed, dharmic action.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśaṃpāyana, as narrator, states a reflective maxim: in the face of unavoidable adversity, sorrow does not change outcomes, so the listener is urged toward steadiness rather than continued lament.