Shloka 20
Draupadī’s Grief at Seeing the Heroes in Disguise (द्रौपदी-विषादः / वेष-परिभव-वर्णनम्)
सहस्रमृषयो यस्य नित्यमासन् सभासद: । तपःश्रुतोपसम्पन्ना: सर्वकामैरुपस्थिता:
sahasramṛṣayo yasya nityam āsan sabhāsadaḥ | tapaḥśrutopasampannāḥ sarvakāmair upasthitāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: A thousand sages regularly sat as members of his assembly—men endowed with ascetic power and sacred learning—attending upon him with every desirable provision and service. The verse sets forth an ideal of righteous kingship, where spiritual authority and learning are honored and prosperity is turned toward the support of dharma rather than mere luxury.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse presents an ethical ideal of governance: a ruler’s prosperity is validated when it sustains and honors tapas (austerity) and śruta (sacred learning). A dharmic court is marked by the presence of learned sages and by resources used to support them, indicating that power should be guided by spiritual and intellectual authority.
Vaiśampāyana describes a ruler (implied by 'yasya', 'whose') whose assembly is continually attended by a thousand sages. These sages, rich in ascetic merit and scriptural knowledge, sit as court members and are provided for with all necessities—depicting the court’s prestige and its alignment with dharma.