Shloka 7
Bhīmasena’s Admonition to Yudhiṣṭhira on Rājya and the Ordering of Dharma–Artha–Kāma
Book 3, Chapter 34
स नो राजा धृतराष्ट्रस्य पुत्रो न्यपातयद् व्यसने राज्यमिच्छन् । दास््यं च नोडगमयद् भीमसेन यत्राभवच्छरणं द्रौपदी नः,भीमसेन! धृतराष्ट्रके पुत्र राजा दुर्योधनने राज्य पानेकी इच्छासे हमलोगोंको विपत्तिमें डाल दिया। हमें दासतक बना लिया था, किंतु उस समय द्रौपदी हमलोगोंकी रक्षक हुई
sa no rājā dhṛtarāṣṭrasya putro nyapātayad vyasane rājyam icchan | dāsyaṃ ca no ’ḍgamayad bhīmasena yatrābhavaccharaṇaṃ draupadī naḥ ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Seeking the kingdom, the son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra—our king—cast us into calamity. He even drove us into slavery; yet in that hour, Draupadī became our refuge and protector, O Bhīmasena.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse that comes from craving power: desire for kingdom leads to adharma—harm, humiliation, and the reduction of others to servitude—while true refuge arises from steadfast moral courage and loyalty, exemplified here by Draupadī’s protective role.
Yudhiṣṭhira reminds Bhīma that Duryodhana, driven by the wish to seize the kingdom, pushed the Pāṇḍavas into disaster and even into slavery; in that crisis, Draupadī stood as their shelter and defender.