Shloka 31

Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)

Devanagari script

हत्वा राजसहस्राणि बहून्याशुपराक्रम: । तद्‌ व्यर्थ सम्प्रपश्यामि मोहात्‌ तव जनाधिप

Transliteration

hatvā rājāsahasrāṇi bahūny āśuparākramaḥ | tad vyarthaṃ samprapaśyāmi mohāt tava janādhipa ||

Translation

Sau khi đã giết hại muôn ngàn vua chúa bằng dũng lực mau lẹ và mãnh liệt, nay ta thấy tất cả đều là vô ích—chỉ vì mê muội, hỡi chúa tể loài người.

Word by Word

• हत्वा: having slain
• हत्वा: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु)
• Form: क्त्वान्त अव्यय (absolutive/gerund)

• राजसहस्राणि: thousands of kings
• राजसहस्राणि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन् + सहस्र (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• बहूनि: many
• बहूनि: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बहु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Plural

• आशुपराक्रमः: one of swift prowess
• आशुपराक्रमः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: आशु + पराक्रम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तत्: that
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• व्यर्थम्: in vain, fruitless
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: व्यर्थ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (adverbial use)

• सम्प्रपश्यामि: I clearly see/realize
• Type: Verb
• Root: सम् + प्र + √पश् (धातु)
• Form: Present (लट्), 1st, Singular, Parasmaipada

• मोहात्: from delusion
• मोहात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: मोह (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Ablative, Singular

• तव: of you, your
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: युष्मद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Genitive, Singular

• जनाधिप: O lord of people (king)
• जनाधिप: Sampradana
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन + अधिप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• janādhipa (a king/ruler addressed)
• rājānaḥ (kings, collectively)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even extraordinary martial success can be judged as meaningless if it arises from moha (delusion) rather than dharmic clarity; ethical evaluation of action depends on motive, discernment, and consequence, not merely on power or victory.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker (Vaiśampāyana, narrating) conveys a confession-like reflection addressed to a ruler: after killing innumerable kings with swift prowess, the speaker now recognizes those acts as futile, attributing the earlier course of action to delusion.