Shloka 22
Draupadī-vivāha-vidhāna
The Ritual Formalization of Draupadī’s Marriage
अजातशबन्रुश्न कुरुप्रवीर: पप्रच्छ कृष्णं कुशलं विलोक्य । कथं वयं वासुदेव त्वयेह गूढा वसन्तो विदिताश्च सर्वे,कुरुकुलके श्रेष्ठ वीर अजातशत्रु युधिष्ठिरने श्रीकृष्णको देखकर कुशल-समाचार पूछा और कहा--'वसुदेवनन्दन! हम तो यहाँ छिपकर रहते हैं, फिर आपने हम सब लोगोंको कैसे पहचान लिया?”
Vaiśampāyana uvāca: Ajātaśatruḥ kurupravīraḥ papraccha Kṛṣṇaṃ kuśalaṃ vilokya | kathaṃ vayaṃ Vāsudeva tvayehā gūḍhā vasanto viditāś ca sarve ||
Vaiśampāyana sagte: Ajātaśatru, der heldenhafte Vornehmste der Kurus, fragte, als er Kṛṣṇa erblickte, nach seinem Wohlergehen und sprach: „O Vāsudeva, wir leben hier im Verborgenen—wie konntest du uns alle erkennen und wissen, wer wir sind?“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid danger and concealment, dharmic conduct begins with respectful inquiry into another’s welfare (kuśala). The verse also highlights Kṛṣṇa’s extraordinary discernment—suggesting that truth and character are ultimately knowable, and that divine or superior insight can penetrate mere outward disguise.
Yudhiṣṭhira (Ajātaśatru), described as the foremost Kuru hero, sees Kṛṣṇa and first asks about his well-being. He then expresses surprise: the Pāṇḍavas are living in hiding, yet Kṛṣṇa has recognized all of them, prompting Yudhiṣṭhira to ask how Kṛṣṇa identified them.