Shloka 22
Draupadī’s Grief at Seeing the Heroes in Disguise (द्रौपदी-विषादः / वेष-परिभव-वर्णनम्)
अप्रतिग्राहिणां चैव यतीनामूर्थध्वरेतसाम् । दश चापि सहस््राणि सो5यमास्ते नरेश्वर:,साथ ही ये महाराज दान न लेनेवाले दस हजार ऊध्वरेता संन्यासियोंका भी स्वयं ही भरण-पोषण करते थे। आज वे ही इस अवस्थामें रह रहे हैं
apratigrāhiṇāṃ caiva yatīnām ūrdhvaretasām | daśa cāpi sahasrāṇi so ’yam āste nareśvaraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Er selbst unterhielt einst sogar zehntausend Asketen — Männer der Enthaltsamkeit, die keine Gaben annahmen. Und doch sitzt eben dieser König nun in einem solchen Zustand.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical stature of a righteous king who supports even renunciants that refuse gifts, and underscores impermanence: worldly status can reverse, so dharma and compassion—not pride in prosperity—are the true measures of greatness.
Vaiśampāyana contrasts the king’s former capacity—personally sustaining ten thousand celibate ascetics who would not accept donations—with his present diminished state, emphasizing a dramatic change in fortune within the Virāṭa-parvan context.