Shloka 23
मārkaṇḍeya-ukta yuddha-vyūha-pratyavyūhaḥ
Battle Formations and Countermeasures in the Rāmopākhyāna
वैशम्पायन उवाच सा ताननुप्रेक्ष्य विशालनेत्रा जिघृक्षमाणानवभर्त्सयन्ती । प्रोवाच मा मा स्पृशतेति भीता धौम्यं प्रचुक्रोश पुरोहितं सा,वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं-जनमेजय! उस समय जयद्रथके साथी आश्रममें प्रविष्ट होकर द्रौपदीको पकड़ लेना चाहते थे। यह देख विशाल नेत्रोंवाली द्रौपदी उन्हें डाँटकर बोली--'“खबरदार, कोई मेरे शरीरका स्पर्श न करे।” फिर भयभीत होकर उसने अपने पुरोहित धौम्य मुनिको पुकारा
vaiśampāyana uvāca sā tān anuprekṣya viśālanetrā jighṛkṣamāṇān avabhartsayantī | provāca mā mā spṛśateti bhītā dhaumyaṃ pracukrośa purohitaṃ sā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Seeing those men who were trying to seize her, the large-eyed lady rebuked them and, frightened, cried out, “Do not—do not touch me!” Then she called aloud for her family priest, the sage Dhaumya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a clear dharmic boundary: coercive touching and seizure are adharma. Draupadī’s protest and her appeal to a respected authority (the purohita) emphasize the moral gravity of violating personal dignity and bodily autonomy.
Jayadratha’s companions enter the hermitage and attempt to seize Draupadī. She sees them, rebukes them, warns them not to touch her, and in fear calls out loudly for the sage Dhaumya, the Pāṇḍavas’ family priest.