Shloka 23
Adhyaya 11 — Draupadī’s Grief, Demand for Justice, and Bhīma’s Departure
इत्युक्त्वा पाण्डवं कृष्णा राजानं चारुदर्शना,जहि तं॑ पापकर्माणं शम्बरं मघवानिव । नहि ते विक्रमे तुल्य: पुमानस्तीह कश्नन “वीर! जैसे इन्द्रने शम्बरासुरको मारा था, उसी प्रकार आप भी उस पापकर्मी अश्वत्थामाका वध करें। इस संसारमें कोई भी पुरुष पराक्रममें आपकी समानता करनेवाला नहीं है
ity uktvā pāṇḍavaṁ kṛṣṇā rājānaṁ cārudarśanā | jahi taṁ pāpakarmāṇaṁ śambaraṁ maghavān iva || nahi te vikrame tulyaḥ pumān astīha kaścana ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus, Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), the lovely-looking queen, urged the Pāṇḍava king: “Slay that doer of sinful deeds—just as Maghavān (Indra) slew Śambara. In this world there is no man equal to you in valor.” The verse frames the call for retribution as a morally charged response to grievous wrongdoing, appealing to heroic precedent and the king’s duty to punish adharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical demand that grave wrongdoing be met with decisive justice, invoking a heroic precedent (Indra vs. Śambara) to strengthen the king’s resolve and to frame punishment of adharma as a ruler’s duty.
Draupadī addresses the Pāṇḍava king and exhorts him to kill the sinful offender (understood in context as Aśvatthāmā), comparing the act to Indra’s slaying of the demon Śambara and praising the king’s unmatched valor.