Vyāsa’s Counsel to Yudhiṣṭhira: Pratismṛti-vidyā, Arjuna’s Aśtra-Quest, and the Move to Kāmyaka
मनांस्यादाय सर्वेषां कृष्णा वचनमत्रवीत् । शालवृक्षके समान कंधे और जाँघोंसे सुशोभित वीर अर्जुनको इस प्रकार सबके चित्तको चुराकर प्रस्थान करते देख द्रौपदी इस प्रकार बोली
manāṁsy ādāya sarveṣāṁ kṛṣṇā vacanam abravīt |
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Como si hubiese arrebatado los corazones de todos, Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) pronunció estas palabras. Al ver partir al heroico Arjuna—hermoso, con hombros y muslos comparables al árbol śāla—y cautivar la atención de todos, Draupadī se dirigió a él de este modo.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse foregrounds the ethical power of speech and presence: a righteous person’s actions can move the hearts of others, and Draupadī’s forthcoming words are positioned as a moral appeal—calling attention to duty, resolve, and the human cost of exile.
The narrator introduces Draupadī’s speech: she sees Arjuna departing, admired by all for his heroic bearing, and she begins to address him—setting up a dialogue that will shape the episode’s moral and emotional direction.