Shloka 236
Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
मनांस्यादाय सर्वेषां कृष्णा वचनमत्रवीत् । शालवृक्षके समान कंधे और जाँघोंसे सुशोभित वीर अर्जुनको इस प्रकार सबके चित्तको चुराकर प्रस्थान करते देख द्रौपदी इस प्रकार बोली
manāṁsy ādāya sarveṣāṁ kṛṣṇā vacanam abravīt |
Vaiśampāyana said: Having, as it were, carried away the hearts of all, Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) spoke these words. Seeing the heroic Arjuna—handsome with shoulders and thighs likened to the śāla tree—setting out and captivating everyone’s attention, Draupadī addressed him thus.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical power of speech and presence: a righteous person’s actions can move the hearts of others, and Draupadī’s forthcoming words are positioned as a moral appeal—calling attention to duty, resolve, and the human cost of exile.
The narrator introduces Draupadī’s speech: she sees Arjuna departing, admired by all for his heroic bearing, and she begins to address him—setting up a dialogue that will shape the episode’s moral and emotional direction.