Shloka 87
Kṛṣṇa at Duryodhana’s House: Refusal of Hospitality and Departure to Vidura (कृष्णस्य धार्तराष्ट्रनिवेशनगमनम्)
स्त्रीधर्मिणी वरारोहा क्षत्रधर्मरता सदा । नाभ्यगच्छत् तदा नाथं कृष्णा नाथवती सती
strīdharmiṇī varārohā kṣatradharmaratā sadā | nābhyagacchat tadā nāthaṃ kṛṣṇā nāthavatī satī |
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Draupadī—fiel aos deveres da mulher, de porte nobre e sempre devotada ao dharma do guerreiro—estava então em seu período menstrual. Embora tivesse protetores, não encontrou, naquele momento, ninguém que se erguesse como seu senhor e defensor.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharmic tension: even a virtuous person who is socially ‘protected’ can be left without effective protection when those responsible fail to act. It implicitly critiques the collapse of kṣatriya-duty (to defend the vulnerable) and underscores the ethical demand that guardianship be real, not merely nominal.
Vaiśampāyana describes Draupadī at a moment of vulnerability (she is said to be in her menstrual period). Despite having husbands/guardians, she is unable to find anyone who will stand as her immediate defender, emphasizing her abandonment in a crisis.