Shloka 18
अध्याय १५ — कीचकस्य अत्याचारः, द्रौपद्याः सभाशरणगमनम्
Kīcaka’s coercion and Draupadī’s appeal in the assembly
सैरन्ध्युवाच यथाहमन्यं भर्तृभ्यो नाभिजानामि कंचन । तेन सत्येन मां प्राप्तां मा कुर्यात् कीचको वशे
Sairandhrī uvāca: yathāham anyaṃ bhartṛbhyo nābhijānāmi kañcana | tena satyena māṃ prāptāṃ mā kuryāt Kīcako vaśe ||
Sairandhrī disse: “Assim como não reconheço homem algum além de meus maridos, pelo poder dessa verdade, que Kīcaka não consiga submeter-me—eu que aqui cheguei—ao seu domínio.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights satya (truthfulness) as a moral and spiritual force: a truthful declaration (satyakriyā) is invoked as protection against adharma—here, coercion and sexual aggression—affirming fidelity and personal integrity as ethically potent.
Draupadī, disguised as Sairandhrī in King Virāṭa’s court, faces Kīcaka’s advances. She utters a truth-act: declaring she belongs to no man except her husbands, she prays that by this truth Kīcaka may not gain power over her.