Shloka 3
उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्
Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy
वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! सिरपर अत्यन्त काले और लम्बे केश धारण करनेवाली ट्रुपदराजकुमारी कृष्णा राजा युधिष्छिरके धर्म और अर्थसे युक्त हितकर वचन सुनकर शोकसे कातर हो उठी और महारथी सात्यकि तथा सहदेवकी प्रशंसा करके वहाँ बैठे हुए दशार्हकुलभूषण श्रीकृष्णसे कुछ कहनेको उद्यत हुई ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca—janamejaya! śirasi atyanta-kālān dīrghān ca keśān dhārayantī drupadarāja-kumārī kṛṣṇā rājñaḥ yudhiṣṭhirasya dharma-artha-yuktān hitakarān vacanān śrutvā śoka-santaptābhavat; mahārathī sātyakiṃ ca sahadevaṃ ca praśaṃsya tatra niṣaṇṇaṃ dāśārha-kula-bhūṣaṇaṃ śrīkṛṣṇaṃ kiñcid vaktum udyatā. bhīmasenaṃ ca saṃśāntaṃ dṛṣṭvā paramadurmanāḥ, aśru-pūrṇekṣaṇā vākyam uvācedaṃ manasvinī—
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: “O Janamejaya! Draupadī—Kṛṣṇā, the princess of King Drupada, wearing very dark and long hair—heard King Yudhiṣṭhira’s words, which were beneficial and grounded in dharma and practical policy. Overwhelmed by grief, she praised the great chariot-warrior Sātyaki and Sahadeva, and then, turning toward Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the ornament of the Dāśārha line who was seated there, she prepared to speak. Seeing Bhīmasena unusually calm, the resolute lady became deeply distressed; her eyes filled with tears, and she addressed Kṛṣṇa with these words.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the ethical strain of decision-making before conflict: Yudhiṣṭhira’s counsel is framed as both dharma- and artha-informed (moral duty plus practical policy), yet Draupadī’s grief shows that righteous reasoning does not erase emotional and moral injury. It sets up a dialogue where justice, restraint, and the demand for redress must be weighed.
After hearing Yudhiṣṭhira’s beneficial counsel, Draupadī—still overwhelmed by sorrow—praises Sātyaki and Sahadeva and then turns to Kṛṣṇa to speak. Seeing Bhīma unexpectedly calm intensifies her distress; with tear-filled eyes, she begins addressing Kṛṣṇa, signaling an impending appeal or argument about the course ahead.