Shloka 3

द्रौपद्याः शोकवचनम्

Draupadī’s Lament and Indictment of Misfortune

Devanagari script

गात्राणि वाससी चैव प्रक्षाल्य सलिलेन सा | चिन्तयामास रुदती तस्य दुःखस्य निर्णयम्‌

Transliteration

gātrāṇi vāsasī caiva prakṣālya salilena sā | cintayāmāsa rudatī tasya duḥkhasya nirṇayam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: Having washed her limbs and her garments with water, she—still weeping—began to reflect on how that sorrow might be brought to a resolution.

Word by Word

• गात्राणि: limbs, body-parts
• गात्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: गात्र
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• वाससी: two garments (clothes)
• वाससी: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Dual

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एव: indeed, just
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एव

• प्रक्षाल्य: having washed
• Type: Verb
• Root: प्र+क्षल्
• Form: ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Active

• सलिलेन: with water
• सलिलेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सलिल
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• सा: she
• सा: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सा)
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• चिन्तयामास: she thought, reflected
• Type: Verb
• Root: चिन्त्
• Form: Periphrastic Perfect (लिट्), 3, Singular, Parasmaipada

• रुदती: weeping
• Type: Verb
• Root: रुद्
• Form: शतृ (present active participle), Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• तस्य: of that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• दुःखस्य: of the sorrow
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुःख
• Form: Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• निर्णयम्: decision; resolution; means (to settle/remove)
• निर्णयम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: निर्णय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Draupadī (Kṛṣṇā, daughter of Drupada)
• water (salila)
• garments (vāsas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even amid grief, one should uphold śauca (cleanliness and composure) and seek a thoughtful, dharmic resolution rather than acting from uncontrolled emotion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Draupadī goes to her lodging, performs appropriate cleansing, washes her body and clothes, and—while crying—thinks intensely about how to remedy the distressing situation.