Shloka 20

Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)

Devanagari script

कुशचीराम्बरधर: परं नियममास्थित: । वाग्यतो राजशार्दूल: स स्वर्गगतिकाम्यया

Transliteration

kuśacīrāmbaradharaḥ paraṃ niyamam āsthitaḥ | vāgyato rājaśārdūlaḥ sa svargagatīkāmyayā

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Vestido con prendas de hierba kuśa y de corteza, el rey, semejante a un tigre, asumió una austeridad de la más alta índole. Dueño de su palabra, observó aquel voto con el anhelo de alcanzar la senda del cielo.

Word by Word

कुशचीराम्बरधरःone who wears garments of kuśa-grass and bark

परम्supreme; highest

नियमम्vow; restraint; observance

आस्थितःhaving undertaken; having adopted

वाग्यतःrestrained in speech; silent

राजशार्दूलःtiger among kings (O best of kings)

सःhe

स्वर्गगतिःgoing to heaven; heavenly course

काम्ययाwith desire; for the sake of wishing

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

rājaśārdūla (a king, unnamed in this verse)

svarga (heaven)

kuśa-grass

bark-cloth (cīra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights niyama and vāg-yama (discipline and restraint of speech) as key components of tapas: ethical self-control expressed through simple living and regulated conduct, undertaken with a clear spiritual aim (here, attainment of svarga).

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes a king adopting ascetic markers—kuśa-grass and bark garments—and entering a strict observance. He controls his speech and performs austerity motivated by the wish to reach heaven.