Shloka 47
Vyāsa’s Vision, the Power of Bhāgavatam, and the Arrest of Aśvatthāmā
मा रोदीदस्य जननी गौतमी पतिदेवता । यथाहं मृतवत्सार्ता रोदिम्यश्रुमुखी मुहु: ॥ ४७ ॥
mā rodīd asya jananī gautamī pati-devatā yathāhaṁ mṛta-vatsārtā rodimy aśru-mukhī muhuḥ
പ്രഭോ! ദ്രോണാചാര്യന്റെ പതിദേവതയായ ഗൗതമിയെ എന്നെപ്പോലെ കരയിക്കരുതേ. ഞാൻ പുത്രന്മാരുടെ മരണദുഃഖത്തിൽ വീണ്ടും വീണ്ടും കണ്ണീരോടെ കരയുന്നു; അവൾക്ക് അങ്ങനെ കരയേണ്ടതില്ല।
Sympathetic good lady as she was, Śrīmatī Draupadī did not want to put the wife of Droṇācārya in the same position of childlessness, both from the point of motherly feelings and from the respectable position held by the wife of Droṇācārya.
FAQs
In this verse, Draupadī appeals that Aśvatthāmā’s mother should not suffer, showing that a devotee’s compassion can extend even to one who has committed grievous harm.
Draupadī considers the pain of the offender’s mother and parallels it with her own grief for her sons, urging restraint and mercy rather than revenge.
Before reacting in anger, consider the wider human consequences—families, dependents, and innocent sufferers—and choose a response guided by compassion and dharma.