Shloka 17

Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ

Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit

Devanagari script

दैत्यरक्षोगणाश्वैव सम्भूता: क्षत्रयोनिषु,(प्रहरिष्यन्ति ते वीरास्तवारिषु महाबला: ।) राजन! दैत्यों तथा राक्षसोंके समुदाय क्षत्रिययोनिमें उत्पन्न हुए हैं, जो आपके शत्रुओंके साथ पराक्रमपूर्वक युद्ध करेंगे। वे महाबली वीर दैत्य आपके शत्रुओंपर गदा, मुसल, शूल तथा अन्य छोटे-बड़े अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंद्वारा प्रहार करेंगे

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | daityarakṣogaṇāś caiva sambhūtāḥ kṣatrayoniṣu | prahariṣyanti te vīrās tavāriṣu mahābalāḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “O King, hosts of Daityas and Rākṣasas have been born among the Kṣatriya lineages. Those mighty, heroic warriors will strike down your enemies with great force.” The statement frames the coming conflict as one in which formidable, non-human powers take human birth and enter the battlefield, intensifying the moral weight of war and the peril faced by the king’s foes.

Word by Word

• {'vaiśampāyana uvāca': 'Vaiśampāyana said', 'daitya': 'a Daitya (demonic/anti-god lineage, often opposed to the Devas)', 'rakṣas / rākṣasa': 'a Rākṣasa (demon/ogre-like being

• often fierce warriors)', 'gaṇa': 'group, host, troop', 'caiva': 'and indeed, and also', 'sambhūtaḥ': 'born, arisen, come into existence', 'kṣatra-yoniṣu': 'in Kṣatriya wombs/lineages

• among warrior castes', 'prahariṣyanti': 'they will strike, attack, smite', 'te vīrāḥ': 'those heroes/warriors', 'tava': 'your', 'ariṣu': 'among/against enemies', 'mahābalāḥ': 'very powerful, of great strength'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Daityas
• Rākṣasas
• Kṣatriya lineages
• the King (addressed as rājān)
• enemies (ari)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how overwhelming forces—symbolized by Daityas and Rākṣasas taking birth among Kṣatriyas—can enter human affairs, making conflict more dangerous and ethically charged. It cautions that war is not merely a human contest of arms but can become a convergence of larger powers, demanding vigilance, restraint, and clarity about righteous conduct.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana addresses a king and foretells (or explains) that powerful Daitya and Rākṣasa hosts have been born in Kṣatriya families and will attack the king’s enemies. The line functions as a narrative intensifier, announcing formidable allies/warriors who will fight with great strength against the opposing side.