Shloka 1636
स्वर्गारोहणपर्व — तृतीयोऽध्यायः
Indra and Dharma’s Consolation; Celestial Gaṅgā Purification
द्रौपदी च तथा कृष्णा व्याजेन नरकं गता: । 'जैसे तुम यहाँ लाये गये थे उसी प्रकार भीमसेन, अर्जुन, नकुल, सहदेव तथा ट्रपदकुमारी कृष्णा--ये सभी छलसे नरकके निकट लाये गये थे
draūpadī ca tathā kṛṣṇā vyājena narakaṃ gatāḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: Draupadī—also called Kṛṣṇā—was, by a contrivance (a deceptive pretext), made to go toward hell. The narrative underscores that even the righteous may be shown the near-vision of hell through divine arrangement, not as final condemnation but as a moral revelation about subtle faults and the impartiality of karmic law.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the impartial working of karma and the ethical idea that even great figures may be shown the consequences of subtle imperfections; the ‘ruse’ indicates a divinely arranged moral demonstration rather than a simple verdict on their worth.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Draupadī (Kṛṣṇā) too was led toward hell through a contrived pretext—part of the broader Svargarohana sequence where the Pāṇḍavas are shown hell and heaven to reveal hidden moral residues and the justice of dharma.