Mahabharata 1.183.18 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 183, Shloka 18

गूढपाण्डवदर्शनम् — The Hidden Pāṇḍavas and Kṛṣṇa’s Visit

Devanagari script

दर्शनीयांश्व॒ व: सर्वान्‌ देवरूपानवस्थितान्‌ | समीक्ष्य कृष्णा वरयेत्‌ संगत्यैकतमं वरम्‌

Transliteration

darśanīyānś ca vaḥ sarvān devarūpān avasthitān | samīkṣya kṛṣṇā varayet saṅgatyaikatamaṃ varam ||

Translation

మీ అందరూ దేవతల వంటి రూపాలతో ఇక్కడ నిలిచి, దర్శనీయులై ఉన్నారు. మీరు సమవేతులై ఉన్నదాన్ని చూసి, దైవయోగంతో కృష్ణా (ద్రౌపది) మీలో ఎవరో ఒకరిని వరుడిగా ఎంచుకోవచ్చు.

Word by Word

• दर्शनीयान्: worthy to be seen, handsome
• दर्शनीयान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दर्शनीय
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• वः: of you (your)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद्
• Form: —, Genitive, Plural

• सर्वान्: all
• सर्वान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• देवरूपान्: having the form of gods, godlike
• देवरूपान्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: देवरूप
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural

• अवस्थितान्: standing/being present
• अवस्थितान्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अवस्था
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Plural, क्त (past passive participle) from अव-स्था

• समीक्ष्य: having looked at, after observing
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-ईक्ष्
• Form: क्त्वा/ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage as gerund)

• कृष्णा: Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)
• कृष्णा: Karta
• Type: Noun (proper name)
• Root: कृष्णा
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• वरयेत्: may choose / should choose
• Type: Verb
• Root: वृ (वर्)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), Potential/should, 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• संगत्य: having come together, having met/associated
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम्-गम्
• Form: क्त्वा/ल्यप् (absolutive/gerund)

• एकतमम्: one of them (one among many)
• एकतमम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: एकतम
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• वरम्: a bridegroom/choice (as in svayaṃvara)
• वरम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Yudhiṣṭhira
• Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī)
• the assembled men (implicitly the Pāṇḍavas)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the interplay of personal choice and daiva (destiny): even in a socially structured act like selecting a husband, outcomes are portrayed as guided by fate, while the speaker frames the situation in terms of propriety and admiration rather than coercion.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira addresses those present, praising their godlike appearance and suggesting that Draupadī, upon seeing them gathered, may—by destiny—choose one among them as her husband.