Shloka 19

अध्याय ३३ — कर्म, दैव, हठ, स्वभाव और पुरुषार्थ पर द्रौपदी का उपदेश

Draupadī on Action, Fate, and Human Effort

Devanagari script

सर्वथा कार्यमेतन्न: स्वधर्ममनुतिष्ठताम्‌ । काडुक्षतां विपुलां कीर्ति वैरं प्रतिचिकीर्षताम्‌,“हम अपने क्षत्रिय-धर्मके अनुष्ठानमें संलग्न हो वैरका बदला लेना चाहते हैं और संसारमें महान्‌ यशका विस्तार करनेकी अभिलाषा रखते हैं, अतः हमारे लिये सब प्रकारसे युद्ध करना ही उचित है

Transliteration

sarvathā kāryam etan naḥ svadharmam anutiṣṭhatām | kṣatāṁ vipulāṁ kīrtiṁ vairaṁ praticikīrṣatām ||

Translation

毗湿摩波耶那说道：“对我们而言，无论从哪方面看，这都是应行之道——在坚守自身之法（svadharma）的同时。既欲赢得广大的声名，又欲偿还宿怨之报，那么投身战斗便是我们所当为。”

Word by Word

सर्वथाin every way, wholly

कार्यम्to be done; proper/necessary act

एतत्this

नःof us / our

स्वधर्मम्one's own duty (proper dharma)

अनुतिष्ठताम्let (them) carry out / practice

काण्डुक्षताम्of those wounded by arrows (lit. arrow-wounded)

विपुलाम्vast, great

कीर्तिम्fame, renown

वैरम्enmity; feud; revenge

प्रतिचिकीर्षताम्of those wishing to retaliate/do in return

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse frames warfare as 'proper' when aligned with svadharma (one’s rightful role-duty), yet it also reveals motivating impulses—seeking fame and repaying enmity—highlighting the ethical tension between duty-based action and desire-driven retaliation.

What is happening in the narrative?

In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, the speakers (implicitly kṣatriyas) justify choosing battle: they claim it accords with their svadharma and will both avenge hostility and spread their renown.