Shloka 21
द्रौपद्याः भीमसेन-प्रबोधनम्
Draupadī Awakens Bhīmasena
आकारमभिरक्षन्ती प्रतिज्ञाधर्मसंहिता । दहामानेव रौद्रेण चक्षुषा द्रुपदात्मजा
ākāram abhirakṣantī pratijñā-dharma-saṃhitā | dahāmānā iva raudreṇa cakṣuṣā drupadātmajā ||
प्रतिज्ञा-धर्म से बँधी द्रुपदनन्दिनी ने अपना स्वरूप छिपाए रखा; पर क्रोध से उसके नेत्र ऐसे भयानक हो उठे मानो जल रहे हों।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between inner emotion and outer restraint: even when anger flares, one may remain bound by a vow (pratijñā) and uphold dharma through self-control and concealment when circumstances demand it.
Vaiśampāyana describes Draupadī during the Pāṇḍavas’ incognito stay: she hides her true identity in accordance with their pledged duty of secrecy, yet her furious, ‘burning’ eyes reveal the intensity of her inner indignation.