Shloka 8
सीता-रावण-संवादः
Sītā–Rāvaṇa Dialogue in the Aśoka Grove
तत्रापश्यत् प्रियां भार्या पाण्डवानां यशस्विनीम् | तिष्ठन्तीमाश्रमद्धारि द्रौपदी निर्जने वने,वहाँ उसने पाण्डवोंकी प्यारी पत्नी यशस्विनी द्रौपदीको दूरसे देखा, जो निर्जन वनमें अपने आश्रमके दरवाजेपर खड़ी थी
tatrāpaśyat priyāṃ bhāryāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ yaśasvinīm | tiṣṭhantīm āśramaddhāri draupadīṃ nirjane vane ||
There he caught sight of Draupadī—renowned and beloved wife of the Pāṇḍavas—standing at the entrance of the hermitage, alone in the desolate forest. The scene underscores both the vulnerability of the righteous in exile and the moral tension created when solitude and danger converge.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical pressure-point in dharma: when a virtuous person is isolated and exposed, the responsibility to protect and the temptation to exploit become sharply contrasted. It prepares the ground for judging actions not by opportunity but by righteousness.
A male figure (implied by the verb 'he saw') arrives at the hermitage area and notices Draupadī, the famed wife of the Pāṇḍavas, standing at the entrance, alone in the deserted forest—an observation that foreshadows ensuing interaction and conflict.