Shloka 3

Vidurovācā: Śreyas, Mantra, and Conciliation toward the Pāṇḍavas (विदुरोवाच—श्रेयः-मन्त्र-समाधानम्)

Devanagari script

यथैव कृष्णोक्तवती पुरस्ता- चैक पतिं मे भगवान्‌ ददातु । स चाप्येवं वरमित्यब्रवीत्‌ तां देवो हि वेत्ता परमं यदत्र,पूर्वजन्ममें कृष्णाने अनेक बार भगवान्‌ शंकरसे कहा--'प्रभो! मुझे पति दें।” जैसा उसने कहा, वैसा ही वर उन्होंने भी उसे दे दिया। अत: इसमें कौन-सा उत्तम रहस्य छिपा है, उसे वे भगवान्‌ ही जानते हैं

Transliteration

yathaiva kṛṣṇoktavatī purastāc caika-patiṁ me bhagavān dadātu | sa cāpy evaṁ varam ity abravīt tāṁ devo hi vettā paramaṁ yad atra ||

Translation

Drupada sprach: „So wie Kṛṣṇā einst gesprochen hatte: ‚Möge der erhabene Herr mir einen einzigen Gatten schenken‘, so gewährte ihr der Gott eben diesen Segen. Welches höhere und tiefere Geheimnis sich hierin verbirgt, das weiß in ganzer Fülle nur jener Göttliche.“

Word by Word

• {'yathā eva': 'just as

• exactly as', 'kṛṣṇā': 'Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)', 'uktavatī': 'she spoke

• she said (feminine perfect)', 'purastāt': 'formerly

• earlier', 'eka-patim': 'having one husband

• a single husband', 'me': 'for me

• to me', 'bhagavān': 'the Blessed Lord

• a revered divine being', 'dadātu': 'may (he) give

• let (him) grant (optative/benedictive sense)', 'sa ca api': 'and he also

• and that one too', 'evam': 'thus

• in that manner', 'varam': 'boon

• gift (especially a divine grant)', 'iti': 'thus

• ‘so’ (quotative particle)', 'abravīt': 'said

• declared', 'tām': 'to her

• that (woman)', 'devaḥ': 'the god

• the deity', 'hi': 'indeed

• for', 'vettā': 'knower

• one who knows', 'paramam': 'supreme

• deepest', 'yad atra': 'whatever is here (in this matter)

Speaker

द्ुपद उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Drupada
• Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)
• Bhagavān (the Lord)
• Deva (the god; implied Śaṅkara/Śiva in the prose gloss)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Human reasoning cannot fully penetrate outcomes shaped by divine sanction and past causes; when a boon is granted by a deity, the deeper rationale behind its consequences is ultimately known to the divine knower alone.

What is happening in the narrative?

Drupada explains that Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) had earlier asked the Lord for a single husband, and the deity granted her that boon; therefore, any deeper secret behind how events unfold is a matter only the god truly understands.