Shloka 19
भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शमोपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel of Conciliation to Duryodhana
स्त्रीधर्मिणी वरारोहा क्षत्रधर्मरता सदा । नाध्यगच्छत् तदा नाथं कृष्णा नाथवती सती
strīdharminī varārohā kṣatradharmaratā sadā | nādhyagacchat tadā nāthaṃ kṛṣṇā nāthavatī satī ||
Draupadī—faithful to the duties of a woman, noble and exalted, and ever devoted to the warrior’s code—could not find a protector at that time. Though she was a virtuous wife who truly had protectors, on that day in the Kaurava court she found none to defend her, and she endured humiliation as if she were without refuge.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral failure: even a virtuous woman who should have been protected by social and familial duty found no defender in a public assembly. It underscores that dharma is not merely personal virtue (satī, strī-dharma) but also collective responsibility—especially the kṣatriya obligation to protect and uphold justice.
The speaker recalls Draupadī’s ordeal in the Kaurava court: despite being a lawful wife with rightful protectors, she was left without effective refuge when she was publicly wronged. The line frames her as exemplary in conduct, while exposing the assembly’s ethical collapse in failing to shield her.