Draupadi's Lament and Bhishma's Answer

Verse 1 (2.91.1)

पुरस्तात्करणीयं मे न कृतं कार्यमुत्तरम् । विह्वलाऽस्मि कृताऽनेन कर्षता बलिना बलात् ॥

purastātkaraṇīyaṃ me na kṛtaṃ kāryamuttaram | vihvalā'smi kṛtā'nena karṣatā balinā balāt

There is a duty I should have done first and have not yet done. I was thrown into confusion by this strong man, who dragged me here by force.

Verse 2 (2.91.2)

अभिवादं करोम्येषां कुरूणां कुरुसंसदि । न मे स्यादपराधोऽयं तदिदं न कृतं मया ॥

abhivādaṃ karomyeṣāṃ kurūṇāṃ kurusaṃsadi | na me syādaparādho'yaṃ tadidaṃ na kṛtaṃ mayā

I pay my respects to these Kurus in the assembly of the Kurus. Let it not be counted a fault in me that I did not do so before.

Note on the text: Removed the speaker line वैशम्पायन उवाच, which Wikisource prints as a third line of this verse; it introduces the next verse.

Verse 3 (2.91.3)

सा तेन च समाधूता दुःखेन च तपस्विनी । पतिता विललापेदं सभायामतथोचिता ॥

sā tena ca samādhūtā duḥkhena ca tapasvinī | patitā vilalāpedaṃ sabhāyāmatathocitā

Shaken by him and by her grief, the unhappy woman, who had never known such treatment, fell down and lamented thus in the assembly:

Note on the text: Speaker: Wikisource prints वैशम्पायन उवाच at the end of the previous verse (the input carried Draupadi over).

Verse 4 (2.91.4)

स्वयंवरे यास्मि नृपैर्दृष्टा रङ्गे समागतैः । न दृष्टपूर्वा चान्यत्र साऽहमद्य सभां गता ॥

svayaṃvare yāsmi nṛpairdṛṣṭā raṅge samāgataiḥ | na dṛṣṭapūrvā cānyatra sā'hamadya sabhāṃ gatā

I, who was seen by the kings gathered in the arena at my svayamvara and never seen anywhere before, have today been brought into the assembly.

Note on the text: Corrected नृपैदृष्टा → नृपैर्दृष्टा (misprint in Wikisource; the instrumental ending lost its repha, as the critical edition reads nṛpair dṛṣṭā).

Verse 5 (2.91.5)

यां न वायुर्न चादित्यो दृष्टवन्तौ पुरा गृहे । साऽहमद्य सभामध्ये दृष्टास्मि जनसंसदि ॥

yāṃ na vāyurna cādityo dṛṣṭavantau purā gṛhe | sā'hamadya sabhāmadhye dṛṣṭāsmi janasaṃsadi

I, whom neither wind nor sun had ever seen in my home, am today seen in the middle of the hall, before a gathering of men.

Verse 6 (2.91.6)

यां न मृष्यन्ति वातेन स्पृश्यमानां गृहे पुरा । स्पृश्यमानां सहन्तेऽद्य पाण्डवास्तां दुरात्मना ॥

yāṃ na mṛṣyanti vātena spṛśyamānāṃ gṛhe purā | spṛśyamānāṃ sahante'dya pāṇḍavāstāṃ durātmanā

The Pandavas, who once could not bear that even the wind should touch me in my home, now endure it as this wicked man lays hands on me.

Note on the text: Corrected दूरात्मना → दुरात्मना (misprint in Wikisource; दुर्- "wicked", not दूर "far", as the critical edition reads durātmanā).

Verse 7 (2.91.7)

मृष्यन्ति कुरवश्चेमे मन्ये कालस्य पर्ययम् । स्नुषां दुहितरं चैव क्लिश्यमानामनर्हतीम् ॥

mṛṣyanti kuravaśceme manye kālasya paryayam | snuṣāṃ duhitaraṃ caiva kliśyamānāmanarhatīm

And these Kurus suffer their daughter-in-law, their daughter, to be tormented, though she does not deserve it. I think the times have turned.

Verse 8 (2.91.8)

किंन्वतः कृपणं भूयो यदहं स्त्री सती शुभा । सभामध्यं विगाहेऽद्य क्व नु धर्मो महीक्षिताम् ॥

kiṃnvataḥ kṛpaṇaṃ bhūyo yadahaṃ strī satī śubhā | sabhāmadhyaṃ vigāhe'dya kva nu dharmo mahīkṣitām

What could be more pitiful than this, that I, a virtuous and noble woman, must today enter the midst of an assembly? Where now is the dharma of kings?

Verse 9 (2.91.9)

धर्म्यं स्त्रियं सभां पूर्वे न नयन्तीति नः श्रुतम् । स नष्टः कौरवेयेषु पूर्वो धर्मः सनातनः ॥

dharmyaṃ striyaṃ sabhāṃ pūrve na nayantīti naḥ śrutam | sa naṣṭaḥ kauraveyeṣu pūrvo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ

We have heard that the men of old, keeping to dharma, never brought a woman into the assembly. That ancient, eternal law has perished among the Kauravas.

Verse 10 (2.91.10)

कथं हि भार्या पाण्डूनां पार्षतस्य स्वसा सती । वासुदेवस्य च सखी पार्थिवानां सभामियाम् ॥

kathaṃ hi bhāryā pāṇḍūnāṃ pārṣatasya svasā satī | vāsudevasya ca sakhī pārthivānāṃ sabhāmiyām

How can it be that I, the wife of the Pandavas, the sister of Parshata (Dhrishtadyumna) and the friend of Vasudeva, a virtuous woman, should come into an assembly of kings?

Note on the text: Corrected पाण्डुनां → पाण्डूनां (misprint in Wikisource; the genitive plural has a long ū, as the critical edition reads pāṇḍūnāṃ).

Verse 11 (2.91.11)

तामिमां धर्मराजस्य भार्यां सदृशवर्णजाम् । ब्रूत दासीमदासीं वा तत्करिष्यामि कौरवाः ॥

tāmimāṃ dharmarājasya bhāryāṃ sadṛśavarṇajām | brūta dāsīmadāsīṃ vā tatkariṣyāmi kauravāḥ

Here I stand, the wife of the King of Dharma, born of a rank equal to his. Tell me, Kauravas, whether I am a slave or not, and I will abide by it.

Verse 12 (2.91.12)

अयं मां सुदृढं क्षुद्रः कौरवाणां यशोहरः । क्लिश्नाति नाहं तत्सोढुं चिरं शक्ष्यामि कौरवाः ॥

ayaṃ māṃ sudṛḍhaṃ kṣudraḥ kauravāṇāṃ yaśoharaḥ | kliśnāti nāhaṃ tatsoḍhuṃ ciraṃ śakṣyāmi kauravāḥ

This petty man, who robs the Kauravas of their good name, torments me cruelly. I cannot bear it much longer, Kauravas.

Note on the text: Restored from the critical edition (2.62.12c): Wikisource's second line ends क्षुद्रः कौरवाणां यशोहरः, repeating the end of the first line and leaving the sentence without its verb; the lost quarter चिरं शक्ष्यामि कौरवाः (ciraṃ śakṣyāmi kauravāḥ) is supplied from the critical edition. Also removed a stray full stop after यशोहरः.

Verse 13 (2.91.13)

जितां वाऽप्यजितां वापि मन्यध्वं मां यथा नृपाः । तथा प्रत्युक्तमिच्छामि तत्करिष्यामि कौरवाः ॥

jitāṃ vā'pyajitāṃ vāpi manyadhvaṃ māṃ yathā nṛpāḥ | tathā pratyuktamicchāmi tatkariṣyāmi kauravāḥ

Whether you think me won or not won, kings, I want an answer to match, and I will abide by it, Kauravas.

Verse 14 (2.91.14)

उक्तवानस्मि कल्याणि धर्मस्य परमा गतिः । लोके न शक्यते ज्ञातुमपि विज्ञैर्महात्मभिः ॥

uktavānasmi kalyāṇi dharmasya paramā gatiḥ | loke na śakyate jñātumapi vijñairmahātmabhiḥ

I have told you already, fair lady: the highest course of dharma cannot be known in this world even by the wise and great-souled.

Verse 15 (2.91.15)

बलवांश्च यथा धर्मं लोके पश्यति पुरुषः । स धर्मो धर्मवेलायां भवत्यभिहतः परः ॥

balavāṃśca yathā dharmaṃ loke paśyati puruṣaḥ | sa dharmo dharmavelāyāṃ bhavatyabhihataḥ paraḥ

Whatever a strong man in this world regards as dharma is taken as dharma when dharma is in question; the other view is struck down.

Verse 16 (2.91.16)

न विवेक्तुं च ते प्रश्नमिमं शक्नोमि निश्चयात् । सूक्ष्मत्वाद्गहनत्वाच्च कार्यस्यास्य च गौरवात् ॥

na vivektuṃ ca te praśnamimaṃ śaknomi niścayāt | sūkṣmatvādgahanatvācca kāryasyāsya ca gauravāt

Nor can I settle this question of yours with certainty, because of its subtlety, its depth, and the gravity of the matter.

Verse 17 (2.91.17)

नूनमन्तः कुलस्यास्य भविता न चिरादिव । तथा हि कुरवः सर्वे लोभमोहपरायणाः ॥

nūnamantaḥ kulasyāsya bhavitā na cirādiva | tathā hi kuravaḥ sarve lobhamohaparāyaṇāḥ

Surely the end of this house is not far off, for all the Kurus are given over to greed and delusion.

Verse 18 (2.91.18)

कुलेषु जाताः कल्याणि व्यसनैराहता भृशम् । धर्म्यान्मार्गान्न च्यवन्ते येषां नस्त्वं बधूः स्थिता ॥

kuleṣu jātāḥ kalyāṇi vyasanairāhatā bhṛśam | dharmyānmārgānna cyavante yeṣāṃ nastvaṃ badhūḥ sthitā

Fair lady, those born in noble houses do not stray from the paths of dharma, however hard misfortune strikes them; and you are the daughter-in-law of such a house as ours.

Verse 19 (2.91.19)

उपपन्नं च पाञ्चालि तवेदं वृत्तमीदृशम् । यत्कृच्छ्रमपि सम्प्राप्ता धर्ममेवान्ववेक्षसे ॥

upapannaṃ ca pāñcāli tavedaṃ vṛttamīdṛśam | yatkṛcchramapi samprāptā dharmamevānvavekṣase

And this conduct of yours is fitting, princess of Panchala, that even in such distress you look only to dharma.

Verse 20 (2.91.20)

एते द्रोणादयश्चैव वृद्धा धर्मविदो जनाः । शून्यैः शरीरैस्तिष्ठन्ति गतासव इवानताः ॥

ete droṇādayaścaiva vṛddhā dharmavido janāḥ | śūnyaiḥ śarīraistiṣṭhanti gatāsava ivānatāḥ

These elders here, Drona and the rest, who know dharma, sit with bowed heads like lifeless men, their bodies empty.

Verse 21 (2.91.21)

युधिष्ठिरस्तु प्रश्नेऽस्मिन्प्रमाणमिति मे मतिः । अजितां वा जितां वेति स्वयं व्याख्यातुमर्हति ॥

yudhiṣṭhirastu praśne'sminpramāṇamiti me matiḥ | ajitāṃ vā jitāṃ veti svayaṃ vyākhyātumarhati

In my view Yudhishthira is the authority on this question. He himself should declare whether you are won or not won.

Note on the text: Corrected प्रश्नोऽस्मिन् → प्रश्नेऽस्मिन् (misprint in Wikisource; the sense needs the locative "in this question", as the critical edition reads praśne 'smin).