Shloka 9
द्रौपदी-भीमसेनसंवादः
Draupadī–Bhīmasena Dialogue on Suffering, Kāla, and Daiva
योद्धयमानं महावीर्यमियं समनुशोचति । कल्याणरूपा सैरन्ध्री बललवश्वापि सुन्दर:
yoḍḍhayamānaṃ mahāvīryam iyaṃ samanūśocati | kalyāṇarūpā sairandhrī ballavo ’śvā api sundaraḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Melihat si tukang masak yang gagah perkasa dan berjiwa wira sedang bertempur, Sairandhrī yang elok lagi membawa tuah itu berulang kali meratap untuknya—sama ada digerakkan oleh kasih yang lahir daripada pernah tinggal bersama dahulu (di rumah tangga Yudhiṣṭhira) ataupun oleh dorongan dharma. Sairandhrī memang berwajah berkat; Ballava juga tampan, dan kuda-kuda itu pun indah.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights dharmic compassion: even amid necessary violence, a righteous person’s heart responds with concern for another’s welfare. Affection born of shared life and duty grounded in dharma both become legitimate motives for empathetic grief.
During the Pāṇḍavas’ incognito stay, Ballava (Bhīma disguised as a cook) is seen fighting. Sairandhrī (Draupadī disguised as a maid) watches and repeatedly laments for him, prompted by prior closeness in Yudhiṣṭhira’s household and/or by dharma.