Shloka 6

द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः

Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva

Devanagari script

जब विराटनरेश प्रसन्न होकर तुम्हें हाथियोंसे लड़ाते हैं, उस समय रनिवासकी दूसरी स्त्रियाँ तो हँसती हैं और मेरा हृदय शोकसे व्याकुल हो उठता है ।।

Transliteration

śārṭūlair mahiṣaiḥ siṃhair āgāre yodhyase yadā | kaikeyyāḥ prekṣamāṇāyās tadā me kaśmalaṃ bhavet ||

Translation

Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Whenever you are made to fight in the palace courtyard with tigers, buffaloes, and lions—while the queen (Kaikeyī/Sudeṣṇā) sits watching—then my heart is seized by anguish and confusion. Though the other women of the inner apartments laugh at the spectacle, I am overwhelmed with sorrow, for such perilous sport is unworthy of one who should be protected, and it turns courage into a cruel entertainment.

Word by Word

• शार्दूलैः: with tigers/leopards
• शार्दूलैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: शार्दूल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• महिषैः: with buffaloes
• महिषैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महिष
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• सिंहैः: with lions
• सिंहैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• आगारे: in the house/palace
• आगारे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आगार
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• योध्यसे: you fight
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध्
• Form: Present, Second, Singular, Atmanepada, Active (Atmanepada usage)

• यदा: when
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यदा

• कैकेय्याः: of Kaikeyī
• Type: Noun
• Root: कैकेयी
• Form: Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• प्रेक्षमाणायाः: of (her) who is watching
• Type: Adjective
• Root: प्रेक्ष्
• Form: शानच् (present active participle), Feminine, Genitive, Singular

• तदा: then/at that time
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तदा

• मे: of me / to me
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अस्मद्
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• कश्मलम्: distress, anguish, confusion
• कश्मलम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कश्मल
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• भवेत्: would arise / would be
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Optative (Potential), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśaṃpāyana
• Virāṭa (implied by context of Virāṭa-parvan)
• Queen Sudeṣṇā (implied by the Hindi gloss)
• Kaikeyī (as read in the Sanskrit line)
• palace/inner apartments (āgāra/antaḥpura context)
• tigers (śārṭūla)
• buffaloes (mahiṣa)
• lions (siṃha)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse contrasts public amusement with private moral sensitivity: turning lethal danger into entertainment hardens the heart. True dharma includes compassion and restraint—especially in royal settings—so that strength is not displayed through needless cruelty or reckless endangerment.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the Virāṭa court setting, the addressee is compelled to fight powerful animals within the palace precincts while the queen watches. Others laugh, but the speaker (narrator’s reported voice) feels deep distress (kaśmala), emphasizing the peril and the impropriety of such a spectacle.