Shloka 5
Bhīṣma’s Counsel on Reconciliation and Partition (भीष्मोपदेशः—संधि-राज्यविभागविचारः)
कथमेका बहूनां स्याद् धर्मपत्नी न संकर: । एतन्मे भगवान् सर्व प्रत्रवीतु यथातथम्
katham ekā bahūnāṃ syād dharmapatnī na saṅkaraḥ | etan me bhagavān sarvaṃ prabravītu yathātatham, rājan |
“一名女子如何能成为多位男子的正法之妻而不致犯下桑迦罗之过？愿尊者将此一切如实、分明地为我解释。”（于是德鲁帕陀王以温言再度向大圣维耶娑询问德罗帕蒂之事。）
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.