Shloka 5
Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Reconciliation and Partition (भीष्मोपदेशः—संधि-राज्यविभागविचारः)
कथमेका बहूनां स्याद् धर्मपत्नी न संकर: । एतन्मे भगवान् सर्व प्रत्रवीतु यथातथम्,राजन! तदनन्तर दो घड़ीके बाद राजा ट्रुपदने मीठी वाणी बोलकर महात्मा व्यासजीसे द्रौपदीके विषयमें पूछा--“भगवन्! एक ही स्त्री बहुत-से पुरुषोंकी धर्मपत्नी कैसे हो सकती है? जिससे संकरताका दोष न लगे, यह सब आप ठीक-ठीक बतावें”
katham ekā bahūnāṃ syād dharmapatnī na saṅkaraḥ | etan me bhagavān sarvaṃ prabravītu yathātatham, rājan |
“หญิงหนึ่งจะเป็นธรรมภรรยาของบุรุษหลายคนได้อย่างไร และจะไม่เกิดโทษแห่งสังกระได้อย่างไร? ข้าแต่ภควन् โปรดอธิบายแก่ข้าพเจ้าตามความจริงทุกประการ”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames a dharma-question: when an action appears to violate social norms (one wife for many husbands), its legitimacy must be assessed through authoritative dharma reasoning. It highlights concern for saṅkara—disorder in marital/lineage ethics—and seeks a principled explanation rather than mere custom.
After the decision that Draupadī will be connected to multiple husbands, King Drupada respectfully asks the sage Vyāsa to explain how this can be dharmically valid and free from the fault of saṅkara, requesting a truthful, complete account.