Shloka 35
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
Devanagari script
साहं सर्वाधमा लोके स्त्रीणां भरतसत्तम
Transliteration
sāhaṃ sarvādhāmā loke strīṇāṃ bharatasattama
Translation
वैशम्पायन उवाच—अहं लोके स्त्रीणां मध्ये सर्वाधमा, भरतसत्तम।
Word by Word
साshe / I (as a woman, contextually)
सा:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
अहम्I
अहम्:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootअस्मद्
FormCommon, Nominative, Singular
सर्वाधमाthe most base / worst of all
सर्वाधमा:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootसर्वाधम
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
लोकेin the world
लोके:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootलोक
FormMasculine, Locative, Singular
स्त्रीणाम्of women
स्त्रीणाम्:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootस्त्री
FormFeminine, Genitive, Plural
भरतसत्तमO best of the Bharatas
भरतसत्तम:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun (Vocative epithet)
Rootभरतसत्तम
FormMasculine, Vocative, Singular
Speaker
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Characters & Entities
V
VaiśampāyanaB
Bharatas (dynasty/lineage)Character Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The line expresses moral self-assessment and remorse: a speaker (reported by Vaiśampāyana) judges herself as having fallen from proper conduct, highlighting the Mahābhārata’s concern with accountability and the ethical weight of one’s actions within social and dharmic expectations.
Within the Śānti Parva’s reflective discourse, Vaiśampāyana narrates a moment where a woman voices intense self-reproach, addressing a Bharata noble as “bharatasattama,” framing her confession or lament in a courtly-ethical setting.