Shloka 356
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
तथा विनिकृता पुत्रैर्याहमिच्छामि जीवितुम् । भरतश्रेष्ठ! मैं ही संसारकी सब स्त्रियोंमें अधम हूँ, जो कि पुत्रोंसे हीन हो जानेपर भी जीवित रहना चाहती हूँ
tathā vinikṛtā putrair yāham icchāmi jīvitum | bharataśreṣṭha! aham eva saṃsārakī sarva-strīṣu adhamaḥ, yā putra-hīnā bhūtvāpi jīvitaṃ icchāmi |
「このように、息子たちに踏みにじられ、打ち砕かれながらも、私はなお生き続けたいと願っている。ああ、バラタ族の最勝者よ！世のすべての女のうち、最も惨めなのはこの私だ——子を失いながら、なお命に執着しているのだから。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the depth of maternal grief and the moral self-scrutiny that follows catastrophe: even the natural will to live can feel blameworthy when one has lost one’s children and has been harmed by one’s own kin. It frames suffering as an ethical and emotional crisis, not merely a personal sorrow.
In Vaiśaṃpāyana’s narration, a bereaved woman speaks in lament, saying she has been grievously wronged by her sons and yet still clings to life. Addressing the listener as “best of the Bharatas,” the speech underscores the shame and desolation she feels after becoming sonless.