Shloka 35

Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ

Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit

Devanagari script

संशप्तकाश्न ते वीरा राक्षसाविष्टचेतस:

Transliteration

saṁśaptakāś ca te vīrā rākṣasāviṣṭa-cetasaḥ

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Aquellos guerreros—atados por su voto jurado—tenían la mente presa de un frenesí como de rākṣasa, como si estuvieran poseídos, y se lanzaron con resolución temeraria.

Word by Word

saṃśaptakāḥthe sworn (warriors), the Saṃśaptakas

nanot

tethey

vīrāḥheroes, warriors

rākṣasāviṣṭa-cetasaḥwhose minds are possessed/overpowered by rākṣasas

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Saṁśaptakas

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse cautions that courage and commitment become ethically dangerous when driven by delusion or demonic rage; vows and martial zeal must remain guided by discernment (viveka) and dharma rather than obsession.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator describes a group of vowed fighters (Saṁśaptakas) charging forward with minds overwhelmed—portrayed as rākṣasa-like possession—signaling uncontrolled ferocity and a readiness for extreme violence.