Shloka 3
Araṇi Lost to the Deer: Pāṇḍavas Pursue to Preserve Agnihotra (अरणी-हरण प्रसङ्गः)
अस्ति सीमन्तिनी काचिद् दृष्टपूर्वापि वा श्रुता । पतिव्रता महाभागा यथेयं द्रपदात्मजा,क्या आपने किसी ऐसी परम सौभाग्यवती पतिव्रता नारीको पहले कभी देखा अथवा सुना है, जैसी यह द्रौपदी है?
asti sīmāntinī kācid dṛṣṭapūrvāpi vā śrutā | pativratā mahābhāgā yatheyam drapadātmajā ||
قال يودهيشثيرا: «هل وُجدت امرأة—رُئيت من قبل أو سُمِع بها—تبلغ من السعادة والفضل مبلغًا، وتثبت على عفّة الزوجية ووفائها (باتيفراتا) مثل هذه الدْرَوْبَدي، ابنة دْرُوبَدا؟»
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates steadfastness to dharma within marriage (pativratā-dharma) as a form of moral excellence, presenting Draupadī as an exemplar whose virtue is so rare that it seems unmatched in memory or tradition.
Yudhiṣṭhira, speaking in admiration, rhetorically asks whether anyone has ever seen or even heard of a woman as blessed and devoted as Draupadī, thereby highlighting her extraordinary character amid the hardships faced by the Pāṇḍavas.