Shloka 36
Parṇāda’s Report; Bāhuka’s Counsel; Damayantī’s Strategic Svayaṃvara Message (अध्याय ६८)
ततः सुदेवमानाय्य राजमाता विशाम्पते । पप्रच्छ भार्या कस्येयं सुता वा कस्य भाविनी,युधिष्ठिर! तब राजमाताने सुदेवको बुलाकर पूछा--“विप्रवर! जान पड़ता है, तुम इसे जानते हो। बताओ, यह सुन्दरी युवती किसकी पत्नी अथवा किसकी पुत्री है? यह सुन्दर नेत्रोंवाली सुन्दरी अपने भाई-बन्धुओं अथवा पतिसे किस प्रकार विलग हुई है? यह सती- साध्वी नारी ऐसी दुरवस्थामें क्यों पड़ गयी?
tataḥ sudevam ānāyya rājamātā viśāmpate | papraccha bhāryā kasyeyaṃ sutā vā kasya bhāvinī, yudhiṣṭhira |
Então a rainha-mãe, ó senhor dos povos, mandou trazer Sudeva e o interrogou: “Ó melhor dos brâmanes, parece que a conheces. Dize-me: de quem é esposa esta mulher, ou de quem é filha, ó Yudhiṣṭhira? Como se separou esta bela mulher de olhos de lótus de seus parentes ou de seu marido? Por que esta senhora fiel e virtuosa caiu em condição tão miserável?”
बृहृदश्च उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharmic concern for a vulnerable woman: a ruler’s household should not ignore suffering but must inquire carefully into identity, kinship ties, and the causes of distress, so that protection and justice can be properly extended.
Bṛhadaśva narrates that the queen-mother summons Sudeva and questions him about a beautiful young woman—asking whose wife or daughter she is, how she became separated from her relatives or husband, and why she has fallen into misery.