Shloka 10
Śikhaṇḍinī’s Marriage Arrangement and the Daśārṇa Envoy’s Accusation (शिखण्डिनी-विवाह-विप्रलम्भ-प्रसङ्गः)
तं॑ तु दृष्टवा तदा राजन् देवी देवपरं तदा । अर्चा प्रयुज्जानमथो भार्या वचनमब्रवीत्,राजन! राजा द्रुपदको देवाराधनमें तत्पर देख महारानीने पूजा चढ़ाते हुए नरेशसे इस प्रकार कहा--
taṁ tu dṛṣṭvā tadā rājan devī deva-paraṁ tadā | arcāṁ prayuñjānam atho bhāryā vacanam abravīt ||
രാജാവേ! അന്ന് ദേവപരായണയായ മഹാരാണി രാജാവ് പൂജാരാധനയിൽ ലീനനായിരിക്കുന്നതു കണ്ടു, ഭർത്താവിനോട് ഇങ്ങനെ പറഞ്ഞു.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that righteous governance is not isolated from devotion and wise counsel: a king’s actions are ideally preceded by reverence (arcā) and guided by ethical speech within the family, suggesting that dharma is strengthened through humility before the divine and openness to advice.
Bhīṣma narrates a moment where the queen, seeing the king engaged in worship, addresses him with a significant statement. The verse functions as a narrative hinge: it introduces the queen’s counsel that follows, framed by the king’s ritual devotion.