Shloka 3
Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya
Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City
पतिव्रता महाभागा सतत ब्रह्म॒वादिनी । द्रौपदी च कथं ब्रह्मन्नजज्ञाता द:खितावसत्
pativratā mahābhāgā satataṁ brahmavādinī | draupadī ca kathaṁ brahmann ajñātā duḥkhitāvasat ||
Janamejaya sprach: „O Brahmane, wie konnte Draupadī —ihren Gatten treu ergeben, hochbegünstigt und stets der heiligen Rede zugewandt— verborgen bleiben und dort wohnen, vom Kummer bedrängt? Und wie verbrachten meine Vorfahren, die Pāṇḍavas, aus Furcht vor Duryodhana, in der Stadt Virāṭa die Zeit ihres unerkannten Aufenthalts, indem sie Mühsal ertrugen?“
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma under adversity: even the virtuous (patīvratā, brahmavādinī) may face suffering, yet they uphold integrity and restraint. It also highlights the ethical tension between rightful endurance and the necessity of concealment for survival.
King Janamejaya asks the narrator-sage how the Pāṇḍavas, fearing discovery by Duryodhana, managed their year of ajñātavāsa in Virāṭa’s city, and specifically how Draupadī—despite sorrow—could remain unrecognized while living there.