Shloka 16
Ambā’s Vow of Tapas after Paraśurāma’s Assessment (अम्बाया तपोव्रतनिश्चयः)
पुत्रवत् पुत्रकार्याणि सर्वाणि समकारयत् । रक्षणं चैव मन्त्रस्य महिषी द्रुपदस्य सा
putravat putrakāryāṇi sarvāṇi samakārayat | rakṣaṇaṁ caiva mantrasya mahiṣī drupadasya sā, narendra |
ビーシュマは語った。「王よ、それより後、ドルパダは秘されたその子に、 पुत्रとしてのあらゆる儀礼と備えをことごとく同じく施させた。ドルパダの王妃は秘密を守るため万全を尽くし、その子をただ『息子』とだけ呼んだ。都のうち、ドルパダ自身を除いて、その子が वास्तवは少女であると知る者は一人もいなかった。」
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal and familial pragmatism: to preserve political stability and intended outcomes, Drupada and his queen maintain strict confidentiality and perform socially recognized rites as for a male heir. It raises ethical tension between truthfulness and perceived necessity in matters of lineage and statecraft.
Bhishma narrates that Drupada secretly raises a girl as a son. He arranges all the customary ‘son’s’ rites for the child, while the queen carefully guards the secret and publicly refers to the child as a boy so that no one in the city suspects the truth.