Shloka 29
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
कि पुन: पुरुषव्याप्र पतयो मे नरर्षभा: । समस्तानीन्द्रियाणीव शरीरस्य विचेष्टने
ki punaḥ puruṣavyāghra patayo me nararṣabhāḥ | samastānīndriyāṇīva śarīrasya viceṣṭane ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “How much more, O tiger among men, can my husbands—those bull-like best of men—accomplish? Just as all the senses together enable the body to act, so do all of them together sustain and complete my well-being. These brothers of yours, who scorch their enemies, are capable of bearing the onrush of hostile armies and shine with a brilliance like that of the gods. I am convinced that even one such hero could make me fully secure and content—what then could not my five noble husbands achieve?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse emphasizes the ethical and practical idea of collective support: just as the body’s action depends on the coordinated functioning of all the senses, a person’s security and flourishing can depend on the combined strength and duty of trusted protectors. It highlights confidence in righteous strength and the completeness that comes from unity rather than isolated effort.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker praises the prowess of the heroes (implicitly the Pāṇḍavas) and argues that if even one such warrior could ensure safety and happiness, then the combined presence of all five husbands is even more sufficient—illustrated through the analogy of the senses empowering the body’s activity.