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

Vaiśampāyana dit : Ces guerriers—liés par leur vœu juré—avaient l’esprit saisi d’une frénésie de rākṣasa, comme s’ils étaient possédés, et se ruèrent avec une détermination téméraire.

Word by Word

• saṃśaptakāḥ: the sworn (warriors), the Saṃśaptakas
• saṃśaptakāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃśaptaka
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• na: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na

• te: they
• te: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tvad
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• vīrāḥ: heroes, warriors
• vīrāḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: vīra
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• rākṣasāviṣṭa-cetasaḥ: whose minds are possessed/overpowered by rākṣasas
• rākṣasāviṣṭa-cetasaḥ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: rākṣasa-āviṣṭa-cetas
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Saṁśaptakas

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.