Shloka 373
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
मान्धाता चाम्बरीषश्न तथा राजन् विराजसे । नृपश्रेष्ठट जैसे मान्धाता और अम्बरीष भूमण्डलके समस्त राजाओंमें सम्मानित थे, राजन! वैसे ही आप भी सुशोभित हो रहे हैं
māndhātā cāmbārīṣaś ca tathā rājan virājase | nṛpaśreṣṭha yathā māndhātā ambarīṣo bhūmaṇḍalasya samastanṛpānāṃ madhye sammānitaḥ, tathā tvam api suśobhase ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „O König, du strahlst wie einst Māndhātṛ und Ambarīṣa strahlten. So wie jene besten Herrscher unter allen Königen der Erde geehrt wurden, so bist auch du jetzt ausgezeichnet — leuchtend durch die Achtung, die du gebietest, und durch die königlichen Tugenden, die du verkörperst.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds the ideal of rājadharma by measuring a present king against celebrated exemplars (Māndhātṛ and Ambarīṣa). True royal “splendor” is not mere power but the public recognition that arises from virtue, righteous conduct, and beneficent rule.
Vaiśampāyana offers a laudatory comparison: he tells the addressed king that he shines like the famed ancient rulers Māndhātṛ and Ambarīṣa, who were honored among all kings on earth. The statement functions as both praise and a moral benchmark for continued righteous governance.