Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 188 — Draupadī-Vivāha Dharma-Vicāra
Debate on the Legitimacy of One Wife for Five
अस्मिन् राजसमावाये देवानामिव संनये । किमयं सदृशं कज्चिन्नूपतिं नैव दृष्टवान्,“देवताओंके समूहकी भाँति उत्तम नीतिसे सुशोभित राजाओंके इस समुदायमें क्या इसने किसी भी नरेशको अपनी पुत्रीके योग्य नहीं देखा है?
asmin rājasamāvāye devānām iva sannaye | kim ayaṃ sadṛśaṃ kaścin nṛpatiṃ naiva dṛṣṭavān ||
ในที่ประชุมกษัตริย์นี้ซึ่งรุ่งเรืองด้วยธรรมเนียมการปกครองอันประเสริฐ ดุจสภาเทพยดา เขามิได้เห็นกษัตริย์ผู้ใดเลยหรือที่สมควร (แก่ธิดาของตน)?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical expectation that choices in marriage alliances and royal decisions should be guided by discernment (sadṛśatā—fitness and propriety) and respect for the collective worth of a righteous assembly, not by caprice or contempt.
In a grand gathering of kings, someone’s refusal or inability to select a suitable king is questioned: despite the assembly being as splendid as that of the gods, has he really found no ruler worthy—implicitly, no match suitable for his daughter?