भीष्म उवाच
चकार यत्नं द्रुपदः सर्वस्मिन् स्वजने महत् ॥
ततो लेख्यादिषु तथा शिल्पेषु च परं गता ॥
इष्वस्त्रे चैव राजेन्द्र द्रोणशिष्यो बभूव ह ॥
तस्य माता महाराज राजानं वरवर्णिनी ॥
चोदयाम् आस भार्यार्थं कन्यायाः पुत्रवत् तदा ॥
ततस् तां पार्षतो दृष्ट्वा कन्यां संप्राप्तयौवनाम् ॥
स्त्रियं मत्वा तदा चिन्तां प्रपेदे सह भार्यया ॥
द्रुपद उवाच
कन्या ममेयं संप्राप्ता यौवनं शोकवर्धिनी ॥
मया प्रच्छादिता चेयं वचनाच् छूलपाणिनः ॥
न तन् मिथ्या महाराज्ञि भविष्यति कथं चन ॥
त्रैलोक्यकर्ता कस्माद् धि तन् मृषा कर्तुम् अर्हति ॥
bhīṣma uvāca
cakāra yatnaṃ drupadaḥ sarvasmin svajane mahat ||
tato lekhyādiṣu tathā śilpeṣu ca paraṃ gatā ||
iṣvastre caiva rājendra droṇaśiṣyo babhūva ha ||
tasya mātā mahārāja rājānaṃ varavarṇinī ||
codayām āsa bhāryārthaṃ kanyāyāḥ putravat tadā ||
tatas tāṃ pārṣato dṛṣṭvā kanyāṃ saṃprāptayauvanām ||
striyaṃ matvā tadā cintāṃ prapede saha bhāryayā ||
drupada uvāca
kanyā mameyaṃ saṃprāptā yauvanaṃ śokavardhinī ||
mayā pracchāditā ceyaṃ vacanāc chūlapāṇinaḥ ||
na tan mithyā mahārājñi bhaviṣyati kathaṃ cana ||
trailokyakartā kasmād dhi tan mṛṣā kartum arhati ||
Bhishma said: 'Drupada made a great effort in everything concerning his own kin. Then she attained the highest skill in writing and the other arts, as well as in crafts. O best of kings, in the art of the bow and arrow she became a pupil of Drona. Then her mother, of beautiful form, urged the king to arrange a marriage for this girl, as though for a son. Afterward the son of Prishata saw that this daughter had come of age, and, regarding her as a woman, fell into anxiety together with his wife. Drupada said: "This daughter of mine has come of age and increases my grief. I have kept her hidden by the word of the wielder of the trident. O great queen, that word can never prove false. Why should the creator of the three worlds make it a lie?"'
9d5187e4218b · published Jul 17, 2026, 6:42:05 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
This chapter shows how the secret of Shikhandin ceases to be Drupada's private affair and becomes a political threat. Shiva's word remains the foundation for Drupada and his wife, but the human order has not yet caught up with that prophecy: marriage, family honor, and diplomatic obligations collide with the child's undisclosed nature. Drupada acts out of faith in the divine promise, yet that faith passes through fear, concealment, and the risk of war with Dasharna. Thus Amba's destiny continues to work itself out not through a direct miracle but through a chain of decisions, vows, and consequences.