Shloka 28
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
अमरप्रतिमा: सर्वे शत्रुसाहा: परंतपा: । एको<पि हि सुखायैषां मम स्यादिति मे मति:
amarapratimāḥ sarve śatrusahāḥ paraṃtapāḥ | eko 'pi hi sukhāyaiṣāṃ mama syād iti me matiḥ, puruṣasiṃha |
Vaiśampāyana said: “All of them are like the immortals in splendor—endurers of the enemy and tormentors of foes. My conviction is that even a single one among these heroes would be enough to make my life happy, O lion among men; how much more, then, could all five of these best of men accomplish? Just as every sense-organ has its indispensable place in making the body capable of action, so each of them has a necessary place in making my life complete and happy.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores interdependence and completeness: just as the body’s activity depends on all the senses together, a fulfilled life (here, marital and social well-being) is supported by the combined strengths and roles of all involved. It also praises kṣatriya virtues—endurance, valor, and the capacity to protect.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker (contextually referring to the five Pāṇḍava brothers as husbands) extols their godlike prowess and argues that even one of them could secure her happiness—therefore all five together are more than sufficient—using the analogy of the senses empowering the body.