Mahabharata · 2.62.12–13
॥
Devanāgarī
अयं हि मां दृढं क्षुद्रः कौरवाणां यशोहरः ॥
क्लिश्नाति नाहं तत् सोढुं चिरं शक्ष्यामि कौरवाः ॥
जितां वाप्य् अजितां वापि मन्यध्वं वा यथा नृपाः ॥
तथा प्रत्युक्तम् इच्छामि तत् करिष्यामि कौरवाः ॥
Transliteration (IAST)
ayaṃ hi māṃ dṛḍhaṃ kṣudraḥ kauravāṇāṃ yaśoharaḥ ||
kliśnāti nāhaṃ tat soḍhuṃ ciraṃ śakṣyāmi kauravāḥ ||
jitāṃ vāpy ajitāṃ vāpi manyadhvaṃ vā yathā nṛpāḥ ||
tathā pratyuktam icchāmi tat kariṣyāmi kauravāḥ ||
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अयं हि मां दृढं क्षुद्रः कौरवाणां यशो-हरःayaṃ hi māṃ dṛḍhaṃ kṣudraḥ kauravāṇāṃ yaśo-haraḥ"for this base one, this thief of the Kauravas' glory,
क्लिश्नाति न अहम् तत् सोढुं चिरं शक्ष्यामि कौरवाःkliśnāti na aham tat soḍhuṃ ciraṃ śakṣyāmi kauravāḥtorments me cruelly; I shall not be able to bear it long, O Kauravas;
जितां वा अप्य् अजितां वा अपि मन्यध्वं वा यथा नृपाःjitāṃ vā apy ajitāṃ vā api manyadhvaṃ vā yathā nṛpāḥwhether you deem me won or unwon, O kings,
तथा प्रत्युक्तम् इच्छामि तत् करिष्यामि कौरवाःtathā pratyuktam icchāmi tat kariṣyāmi kauravāḥso let it be answered; I desire an answer; that I will do, O Kauravas."
यशोहरःyaśoharaḥoriginal form "yaśoharaḥ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
नाहंnāhaṃoriginal form "nāhaṃ", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वाप्य्vāpyoriginal form "vāpy", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
वापिvāpioriginal form "vāpi", added to complete the word-by-word coverage
Translation
[Draupadi:] "For this base one, this thief of the Kauravas' glory, torments me cruelly, and I shall not long be able to bear it, O Kauravas. Whether you deem me won or unwon, O kings, say so plainly -- I desire an answer, and I will act accordingly, O Kauravas."
Version
9add54779e59 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:12:36 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Duhshasana, who torments her, is named "the thief of the Kauravas' glory": one who dishonors the innocent dishonors first of all his own lineage, and the shame of the outrage falls not upon the outraged but upon those who commit it. Draupadi again does not beg for mercy but demands clarity -- for unresolved wrong is worse than judgment itself: an unnamed injustice, lingering, prolongs the torment of both the assembly and the victim. The verse teaches that evil left unnamed and uncondemned corrodes the honor of a whole house; and that the demand for a direct answer is itself a demand of dharma -- for where judges hide in silence, suffering has no bound.