Shloka 3
Virāṭanagara-nivāsa-nirṇaya
Decision to Reside in Virāṭa’s City
पतिव्रता महाभागा सतत ब्रह्म॒वादिनी । द्रौपदी च कथं ब्रह्मन्नजज्ञाता द:खितावसत्
pativratā mahābhāgā satataṁ brahmavādinī | draupadī ca kathaṁ brahmann ajñātā duḥkhitāvasat ||
Janamejaya disse: “Ó brâmane, como Draupadī—tão devotada aos maridos, grandemente afortunada e sempre dedicada ao discurso sagrado—permaneceu oculta e ali viveu, aflita de tristeza? E como, por medo de Duryodhana, meus antepassados, os Pāṇḍavas, passaram na cidade de Virāṭa o período de vida incógnita, suportando dificuldades?”
जनमेजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds dharma under adversity: even the virtuous (patīvratā, brahmavādinī) may face suffering, yet they uphold integrity and restraint. It also highlights the ethical tension between rightful endurance and the necessity of concealment for survival.
King Janamejaya asks the narrator-sage how the Pāṇḍavas, fearing discovery by Duryodhana, managed their year of ajñātavāsa in Virāṭa’s city, and specifically how Draupadī—despite sorrow—could remain unrecognized while living there.