Shloka 20

Devanagari script

बुह्तन्नलोवाच कथं सैरन्ध्रि मुक्तासि कथं पापाश्न ते हता: । इच्छामि वै तव श्रोतुं सर्वमेव यथातथम्‌,बृहन्नलाने पूछा--सैरन्ध्री! तू उन पापियोंके हाथसे कैसे छूटी? और वे पापी कैसे मारे गये? मैं ये सब बातें तेरे मुखसे ज्यों-की-त्यों सुनना चाहती हूँ

Transliteration

bṛhannalovāca kathaṃ sairandhrī muktāsi kathaṃ pāpāś ca te hatāḥ | icchāmi vai tava śrotuṃ sarvam eva yathātatham ||

Translation

Bṛhannalā said: “How were you, Sairandhrī, set free? And how were those wicked men slain? I wish to hear everything from you exactly as it happened.”

Word by Word

बृहन्नलःBṛhannalā (name)

उवाचsaid

कथम्how?

सैरन्ध्रिO Sairandhrī (maidservant)

मुक्ताfreed, released

असिyou are

कथम्how?

पापाःwicked men

चand

तेof you/your

हताःkilled, slain

इच्छामिI wish, I desire

वैindeed

तवof you/from you

श्रोतुम्to hear

सर्वम्everything

एवjust, indeed

यथाas, in the manner that

तथम्so, thus

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Bṛhannalā (Arjuna in disguise)

Sairandhrī (Draupadī in disguise)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds ethical accountability and truth: wrongdoing (pāpa) invites consequences, and the listener seeks an accurate, unembellished account (yathātatham). It also reflects dharmic concern for the protection and vindication of one who has been wronged.

What is happening in the narrative?

Bṛhannalā (Arjuna, disguised) questions Sairandhrī (Draupadī, disguised) about how she escaped from the offenders and how those offenders were killed, requesting a complete and faithful narration of the events.