Shloka 9

Adhyāya 6: Kaṅka (Yudhiṣṭhira) Seeks Refuge in Virāṭa’s Assembly

Devanagari script

स्वरूपं ब्रह्मचर्य च विशदं गगनेश्वरी । कृष्णच्छविसमा कृष्णा संकर्षणसमानना

Transliteration

svarūpaṁ brahmacaryaṁ ca viśadaṁ gaganeśvarī | kṛṣṇacchavisamā kṛṣṇā saṅkarṣaṇasamānanā

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Su forma y su voto de castidad eran puros y radiantes; resplandecía como soberana del firmamento. De tez oscura como Kṛṣṇa, aquella Kṛṣṇā tenía un rostro semejante al de Saṅkarṣaṇa.»

Word by Word

svarūpamform, appearance

brahmacaryamcelibacy, student-discipline

caand

viśadamclear, pure, bright

gaganeśvarīlady/queen of the sky (a celestial lady)

kṛṣṇa-chavi-samāhaving a complexion like Kṛṣṇa’s

kṛṣṇāKṛṣṇā (Draupadī)

saṅkarṣaṇa-samānanāhaving a face like Saṅkarṣaṇa’s

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)

Kṛṣṇa

Saṅkarṣaṇa (Balarāma)

gagana (sky)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse links outer beauty with inner discipline: Draupadī’s radiance is presented alongside brahmacarya (self-restraint/chastity), implying that ethical purity and steadfast conduct are central to true nobility.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator Vaiśampāyana is describing Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), praising her pure demeanor and striking appearance by comparing her luminosity to the moon and her features to revered figures—Kṛṣṇa and Saṅkarṣaṇa.