Shloka 12
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
इत्येतानेवमुक्त्वा त्वं स्वयं धर्मभूतां वर । कथमपद्य पुनर्वीर विनिहंसि मनांसि न:
iti etān evam uktvā tvaṃ svayaṃ dharmabhūtāṃ vara | katham āpadya punar vīra vinihaṃsi manāṃsi naḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Wahai yang terbaik antara orang-orang berpegang pada dharma, engkau sendiri—setelah pernah berkata demikian kepada saudara-saudaramu untuk meneguhkan tekad mereka—bagaimanakah, wahai wira, kini engkau jatuh ke dalam sikap hati yang lain lalu sekali lagi menghancurkan perasaan kami? Dahulu engkau menenangkan mereka dengan bayangan kemenangan, kekalahan Duryodhana, serta pemulihan hak menikmati bumi dan menegakkan ibadat korban; mengapa sekarang engkau mematahkan semangat mereka?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Words that once upheld dharma and courage carry moral responsibility: a leader who previously inspired others toward righteous endurance should not later undermine their hearts through sudden discouragement.
The speaker recalls earlier encouragement given to the brothers—promising victory and the return to rightful life—and questions why the same person now reverses course and breaks their morale.