Shloka 3

Draupadī’s Lament and the Question of Kṣatriya Forbearance (द्रौपद्याः शोकप्रलापः क्षमानिर्णयश्च)

Devanagari script

बलिरुवाच क्षमा स्विच्छेयसी तात उताहो तेज इत्युत । एतन्मे संशयं तात यथावद्‌ ब्रूहि पृच्छते,बलिने पूछा--तात! क्षमा और तेजमेंसे क्षमा श्रेष्ठ है अथवा तेज? यह मेरा संशय है। मैं इसका समाधान पूछता हूँ। आप इस प्रश्नका यथार्थ निर्णय कीजिये

Transliteration

balir uvāca kṣamā svi ccheyasī tāta utāho teja ity uta | etan me saṁśayaṁ tāta yathāvad brūhi pṛcchate ||

Translation

Bali said: “Dear sir, which is truly the higher virtue—forbearance (kṣamā) or fiery strength and assertive power (tejas)? This doubt troubles me. As I ask, please explain it correctly and decisively.”

Word by Word

• {'baliḥ uvāca': 'Bali said', 'kṣamā': 'forbearance, patience, forgiveness

• the capacity to endure without retaliation', 'svi': 'indeed, surely (emphatic particle)', 'śreyasī': 'better, more beneficial, superior (feminine comparative)', 'tāta': 'dear one

• a respectful/vocative address (often ‘son’/‘dear sir’ depending on context)', 'utāho': 'or else

• or rather', 'tejaḥ (tejas)': 'splendor, vigor, fiery energy

• assertive power and capacity to punish/protect', 'iti uta': 'thus, indeed (quotative/emphatic)', 'etat': 'this', 'me': 'to me, my', 'saṁśayam': 'doubt, uncertainty', 'yathāvat': 'as it truly is

• correctly, in due manner', 'brūhi': 'tell, explain (imperative)', 'pṛcchate': 'to one who asks

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Bali

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames a classic dharma-question: whether the highest good lies in kṣamā (forbearance/forgiveness) or in tejas (assertive strength, the power to protect and punish). It invites a nuanced ethical judgment rather than a simplistic preference.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bali, in a dialogic setting, respectfully asks an elder/teacher to resolve his doubt about the relative superiority of forbearance and power, requesting a clear and correct decision.