Shloka 9
Ghaṭotkaca’s Conveyance to Badarī and Entry into the Nara-Nārāyaṇa Āśrama (घटोत्कच-वाहनम्; नरनारायणाश्रम-प्रवेशः)
तामवेक्ष्य तु कौन्तेयो विवर्णवदनां कृशाम् । अड्-कमानीय धर्मात्मा पर्यदेवयदातुर:,धर्मात्मा कुन्तीनन्दनने देखा--द्रौपदीके मुखकी कान्ति फीकी पड़ गयी है और उसका शरीर कृश हो गया है। तब वे उसे अंकमें लेकर शोकातुर हो विलाप करने लगे
tām avekṣya tu kaunteyo vivarṇavadanāṁ kṛśām | aṅkam ānīya dharmātmā paryadevayad āturaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Seeing her—Draupadī—her face drained of color and her body grown thin, the son of Kuntī, righteous in nature, drew her into his lap and, overwhelmed with distress, began to lament. The scene underscores the dhārmic hero’s compassion: even amid exile and hardship, he responds to suffering not with hardness but with protective care and grief.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dhārmic compassion: a righteous person does not treat suffering as merely fate or strategy but responds with humane care. Yudhiṣṭhira’s identity as dharmātmā is shown through empathy and protective tenderness toward Draupadī.
In the forest-exile setting, Yudhiṣṭhira sees Draupadī weakened—pale-faced and thin. He takes her into his lap and, overcome by sorrow, laments aloud, marking a moment of emotional intensity and concern for her hardship.