Shloka 24
Draupadī’s Grief at Seeing the Heroes in Disguise (द्रौपदी-विषादः / वेष-परिभव-वर्णनम्)
अन्धान वृद्धांस्तथानाथान् बालानू् राष्ट्रेषु दुर्गतान् । बिभर्ति विविधान् राजा धृतिमान् सत्यविक्रम: । संविभागमना नित्यमानृशंस्याद् युधिष्ठिर:,धैर्यवान् तथा सत्यपराक्रमी राजा युधिष्ठिर अपने कोमल स्वभावके कारण सदा सबको भोजन आदि देनेमें ही मन लगाते थे और अपने राज्यके अनेक अंधों, बूढ़ों, अनाथों, बालकों तथा दुर्गतिमें पड़े हुए लोगोंका भरण-पोषण करते रहते थे
andhān vṛddhāṁs tathānāthān bālānū rāṣṭreṣu durgatān | bibharti vividhān rājā dhṛtimān satyavikramaḥ | saṁvibhāgamanā nityam ānṛśaṁsyād yudhiṣṭhiraḥ, dhairyavān tathā satyaparākramī |
Vaiśampāyana sprach: König Yudhiṣṭhira, standhaft, dessen Heldenkraft in der Wahrheit gründete, unterhielt in seinem Reich unablässig die Bedrängten — Blinde, Greise, Schutzlose und Kinder. Stets auf gerechte Verteilung bedacht, trug Yudhiṣṭhira, von Natur mitfühlend, vielerlei Abhängige durch fortwährende Fürsorge und Versorgung und verkörperte so geduldigen Mut und wahrhaftige Stärke.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A king’s dharma is not merely power or conquest but compassionate stewardship: truthful strength expresses itself through steady support of the vulnerable and fair distribution of resources (saṁvibhāga), grounded in non-cruelty (ānṛśaṃsya) and fortitude (dhṛti).
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Yudhiṣṭhira’s character as a ruler: he continually provides food and support to those in hardship within his realm—especially the blind, the elderly, the unprotected, and children—showing that his courage and prowess are inseparable from truth and compassion.