Shloka 6

Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)

Devanagari script

कथं च राजपुत्री सा प्रवरा सर्वयोषिताम्‌ । पतिव्रता महाभागा सततं सत्यवादिनी,तपोधन! संसारकी समस्त सुन्दरियोंमें श्रेष्ठ, पतिव्रता एवं सदा सत्य बोलनेवाली वह महाभागा राजकुमारी द्रौपदी, जो दुःख भोगनेके योग्य कदापि नहीं थी, वनवासके भयंकर कष्टको कैसे सह सकी? यह सब मुझे विस्तारपूर्वक बतलाइये

Transliteration

kathaṁ ca rājaputrī sā pravarā sarvayoṣitām | pativratā mahābhāgā satataṁ satyavādinī, tapodhana! | saṁsārakī samasta sundarīyoṁ meṁ śreṣṭha, pativratā evaṁ sadā satya bolanevālī vaha mahābhāgā rājakumārī draupadī, jo duḥkha bhogane ke yogya kadāpi nahīṁ thī, vanavāsa ke bhayaṅkara kaṣṭa ko kaise saha sakī? yaha saba mujhe vistārapūrvaka batalāiye

Translation

Janamejaya berkata: “Wahai pertapa kaya tapa, bagaimana putri raja itu—yang termulia di antara para wanita, setia kepada para suaminya, berhati luhur, dan senantiasa berkata benar—Draupadī, yang sejatinya tak patut menanggung derita, sanggup memikul kerasnya hidup dalam pengasingan di hutan? Ceritakanlah semuanya kepadaku dengan rinci.”

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'kathaṁ', 'definition': 'how? in what manner?'}, {'term': 'rājaputrī', 'definition': 'princess

• daughter of a king'}, {'term': 'pravarā', 'definition': 'most excellent

• foremost'}, {'term': 'sarva-yoṣitām', 'definition': 'of all women'}, {'term': 'pativratā', 'definition': 'devoted to one’s husband(s)

• faithful to marital duty'}, {'term': 'mahābhāgā', 'definition': 'highly fortunate

• illustrious'}, {'term': 'satataṁ', 'definition': 'always

• continually'}, {'term': 'satyavādinī', 'definition': 'truth-speaking

• one who speaks the truth'}, {'term': 'tapodhana', 'definition': 'one whose wealth is austerity

Speaker

जनमेजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Janamejaya
• Draupadī
• tapodhana (ascetic addressee, i.e., Vaiśaṁpāyana in the frame narrative)
• forest exile (vanavāsa)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds ethical ideals attributed to Draupadī—truthfulness and steadfast marital duty—and frames suffering as a moral problem to be understood: how a virtuous person endures adversity. It invites reflection on dharma under hardship and the resilience demanded by exile.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the frame dialogue, King Janamejaya asks the ascetic narrator to explain, in detail, how Draupadī—praised as the foremost of women—could endure the severe trials of the Pāṇḍavas’ forest exile.