Mahabharata · 1.187.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
वैशंपायन उवाच
तत आहूय पाञ्चाल्यो राजपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम् ॥
परिग्रहेण ब्राह्मेण परिगृह्य महाद्युतिः ॥
पर्यपृच्छद् अदीनात्मा कुन्तीपुत्रं सुवर्चसम् ॥
कथं जानीम भवतः क्षत्रियान् ब्राह्मणान् उत ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
vaiśaṃpāyana uvāca
tata āhūya pāñcālyo rājaputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram ||
parigraheṇa brāhmeṇa parigṛhya mahādyutiḥ ||
paryapṛcchad adīnātmā kuntīputraṃ suvarcasam ||
kathaṃ jānīma bhavataḥ kṣatriyān brāhmaṇān uta ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ततः आहूय पाञ्चाल्यः राजपुत्रं युधिष्ठिरम्tataḥ āhūya pāñcālyaḥ rājaputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiramThen the Panchala king, summoning Prince Yudhishthira,
परिग्रहेण ब्राह्मेण परिगृह्य महाद्युतिःparigraheṇa brāhmeṇa parigṛhya mahādyutiḥhaving received him with a brahmin's welcome, the greatly resplendent one,
पर्यपृच्छत् अदीनात्मा कुन्तीपुत्रं सुवर्चसम्paryapṛcchat adīnātmā kuntīputraṃ suvarcasamasked, undaunted in spirit, the radiant son of Kunti:
कथं जानीम भवतः क्षत्रियान् ब्राह्मणान् उतkathaṃ jānīma bhavataḥ kṣatriyān brāhmaṇān uta‘How are we to know you — are you kshatriyas or brahmins,
वैशंपायनvaiśaṃpāyanaoriginal form "vaiśṃpāyana", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
ततtataoriginal form "tata", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पाञ्चाल्योpāñcālyooriginal form "pāñcālyo", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
पर्यपृच्छद्paryapṛcchadoriginal form "paryapṛcchad", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
Vaishampayana said: ‘Then the Panchala king, summoning Prince Yudhishthira and receiving him with a brahmin's welcome, the greatly resplendent one, asked, undaunted in spirit, the radiant son of Kunti: “How are we to know you — are you kshatriyas or brahmins?”’
Version
046ceda83eda · published Jul 12, 2026, 5:44:41 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here the king, before the marriage, seeks reliable truth. It is significant that Drupada, having already honored his guests, still asks directly about their lineage: a matter as weighty as a daughter's marriage demands clarity, not guesswork. Here is a father's conscientiousness, unwilling to entrust his daughter's fate to the unknown. Thus the text reveals Drupada's prudence; and a direct question opens the way to a direct answer.