महिषी पाण्डुपुत्राणां दुहिता द्रुपदस्य च ॥
इमाम् अवस्थां संप्राप्ता का मद् अन्या जिजीविषेत् ॥
कुरून् परिभवन् सर्वान् पाञ्चालान् अपि भारत ॥
पाण्डवेयांश् च संप्राप्तो मम क्लेशो ह्य् अरिंदम ॥
भ्रातृभिः श्वशुरैः पुत्रैर् बहुभिः परवीरहन् ॥
एवं समुदिता नारी का न्व् अन्या दुःखिता भवेत् ॥
नूनं हि बालया धातुर् मया वै विप्रियं कृतम् ॥
यस्य प्रसादाद् दुर्नीतं प्राप्तास्मि भरतर्षभ ॥
वर्णावकाशम् अपि मे पश्य पाण्डव यादृशम् ॥
यादृशो मे न तत्रासीद् दुःखे परमके तदा ॥
त्वम् एव भीम जानीषे यन् मे पार्थ सुखं पुरा ॥
साहं दासत्वम् आपन्ना न शान्तिम् अवशा लभे ॥
नादैविकम् इदं मन्ये यत्र पार्थो धनंजयः ॥
भीमधन्वा महाबाहुर् आस्ते शान्त इवानलः ॥
अशक्या वेदितुं पार्थ प्राणिनां वै गतिर् नरैः ॥
विनिपातम् इमं मन्ये युष्माकम् अविचिन्तितम् ॥
यस्या मम मुखप्रेक्षा यूयम् इन्द्रसमाः सदा ॥
सा प्रेक्षे मुखम् अन्यासाम् अवराणां वरा सती ॥
mahiṣī pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ duhitā drupadasya ca ||
imām avasthāṃ saṃprāptā kā mad anyā jijīviṣet ||
kurūn paribhavan sarvān pāñcālān api bhārata ||
pāṇḍaveyāṃś ca saṃprāpto mama kleśo hy ariṃdama ||
bhrātṛbhiḥ śvaśuraiḥ putrair bahubhiḥ paravīrahan ||
evaṃ samuditā nārī kā nv anyā duḥkhitā bhavet ||
nūnaṃ hi bālayā dhātur mayā vai vipriyaṃ kṛtam ||
yasya prasādād durnītaṃ prāptāsmi bharatarṣabha ||
varṇāvakāśam api me paśya pāṇḍava yādṛśam ||
yādṛśo me na tatrāsīd duḥkhe paramake tadā ||
tvam eva bhīma jānīṣe yan me pārtha sukhaṃ purā ||
sāhaṃ dāsatvam āpannā na śāntim avaśā labhe ||
nādaivikam idaṃ manye yatra pārtho dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
bhīmadhanvā mahābāhur āste śānta ivānalaḥ ||
aśakyā vedituṃ pārtha prāṇināṃ vai gatir naraiḥ ||
vinipātam imaṃ manye yuṣmākam avicintitam ||
yasyā mama mukhaprekṣā yūyam indrasamāḥ sadā ||
sā prekṣe mukham anyāsām avarāṇāṃ varā satī ||
'What other woman but me, having reached such a state, would still wish to live: I, the queen of the sons of Pāṇḍu and the daughter of Drupada. My affliction has come despite all the Kurus, the Pāñcālas, and the sons of Pāṇḍu, O scourge of enemies. What other woman, surrounded by brothers, fathers-in-law, sons and so many kinsmen, would become so wretched? Surely, even as a child, I did something displeasing to the Creator, by whose grace I have come to such a wretched state, bull of the Bharatas. See, Pāṇḍava, what my complexion has become: it was never like this even then, in the greatest sorrow. You alone, Bhīma, know what happiness was once mine, Pārtha. And now I have become a slave and, helpless, find no peace. I do not consider this to be anything but fate: Pārtha Dhanañjaya, mighty-armed with his fearsome bow, sits silent as a fire at rest. It is impossible for men to know the course of living beings, Pārtha; I consider this fall of yours unthinkable. She on whose face you, equal to Indra, always used to gaze — she herself, though the best of women, now gazes upon the faces of other, lesser women.'
99975caa3ecb · published Jul 16, 2026, 6:11:28 PM UTC
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Draupadī measures her fall not by loss of comfort but by the loss of a station where honor was shielded by family, husbands, and sons. Now that protection must be born anew.