Mahabharata · 2.62.1–2
॥
Devanāgarī
द्रौपद्य् उवाच
पुरस्तात् करणीयं मे न कृतं कार्यम् उत्तरम् ॥
विह्वलास्मि कृतानेन कर्षता बलिना बलात् ॥
अभिवादं करोम्य् एषां गुरूणां कुरुसंसदि ॥
न मे स्याद् अपराधो ऽयं यद् इदं न कृतं मया ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
draupady uvāca
purastāt karaṇīyaṃ me na kṛtaṃ kāryam uttaram ||
vihvalāsmi kṛtānena karṣatā balinā balāt ||
abhivādaṃ karomy eṣāṃ gurūṇāṃ kurusaṃsadi ||
na me syād aparādho 'yaṃ yad idaṃ na kṛtaṃ mayā ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पुरस्तात् करणीयं मे न कृतं कार्यम् उत्तरम्purastāt karaṇīyaṃ me na kṛtaṃ kāryam uttaram"the duty owed by me before, which ought to have been done, has not been done:
विह्वला अस्मि कृता अनेन कर्षता बलिना बलात्vihvalā asmi kṛtā anena karṣatā balinā balātI am bewildered by this one who drags me by force, mighty though I be dragged;
अभिवादं करोम्य् एषां गुरूणां कुरु-संसदिabhivādaṃ karomy eṣāṃ gurūṇāṃ kuru-saṃsadiI make only a bow to these elders in the Kuru assembly;
न मे स्याद् अपराधो ऽयं यद् इदं न कृतं मयाna me syād aparādho 'yaṃ yad idaṃ na kṛtaṃ mayālet it not be counted my fault that this has not been done by me."
द्रौपद्य्draupadyoriginal form "draupady", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
विह्वलास्मिvihvalāsmioriginal form "vihvalāsmi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कृतानेनkṛtānenaoriginal form "kṛtānena", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
कुरुसंसदिkurusaṃsadioriginal form "kurusaṃsadi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
[Draupadi:] "The duty owed by me before, which ought to have been performed, has not been performed: I am bewildered by him who drags me by force. I make only a bow to these elders in the Kuru assembly; let it not be counted my fault that this was not done by me."
Version
c88bc200753d · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:12:36 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Dragged by force, showered with disgrace, the queen's very first word is a bow to the elders -- and in this her unbroken nobility shows itself: dignity is held not by the position of the body but by the order of the soul. Her concern for an unperformed duty is telling: in the hour when she herself is trampled, she worries whether the hindrance wrought by violence might be reckoned her fault. The verse teaches that outward outrage does not reach inner purity, and that one faithful to dharma does not abandon reverence and rite even where she herself is stripped of everything. The cruder the violence from without, the more brightly firmness within is revealed.