Shloka 3
आयान्तीमे पञ्च रथा महान्तो मन्ये च कृष्णे पतयस्तवैते । सा जानती ख्यापय न: सुकेशि परं पर पाण्डवानां रथस्थम्,'सुन्दर केशोंवाली कृष्णे! ये पाँच विशाल रथ आ रहे हैं। जान पड़ता है, इनमें तुम्हारे पति ही बैठे हैं। तुम तो सबको जानती ही हो। मुझे रथपर बैठे हुए इन पाण्डवोंमेंसे एक- एकका उत्तरोत्तर परिचय दो”
āyāntīme pañca rathā mahānto manye ca kṛṣṇe patayastavaite | sā jānati khyāpaya naḥ sukeśi paraṃ para pāṇḍavānāṃ rathastham ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “Five great chariots are approaching. O Kṛṣṇā, I think those seated in them are your husbands. You know them well—O fair-haired lady, tell us, one after another, the identity of each Pāṇḍava as he sits upon his chariot.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights discernment and truthful identification in a tense moment: one should rely on knowledge and clear recognition rather than rumor or fear, and communicate facts in proper order for collective understanding.
As five imposing chariots approach, the narrator (Vaiśampāyana) addresses Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī), assuming the riders are her husbands, the Pāṇḍavas, and asks her to identify each of them in sequence as they appear on their chariots.