Shloka 35
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
एको भर्ता स्त्रिया देवैरविहित: कुरुनन्दन । इयं त्वनेकवशगा बन्धकीति विनिश्चिता
eko bhartā striyā devair avihitaḥ kurunandana | iyaṁ tv anekavaśagā bandhakīti viniścitā ||
قال كارنا: «يا بهجةَ آل كورو، لقد شرعت الآلهة للمرأة زوجاً واحداً. أمّا هذه دروبدي فهي خاضعةٌ لرجالٍ كُثُر؛ لذلك يجب الجزم بأنها مُغنّيةٌ/غانيةٌ (courtesan). ومن ثمّ فإدخالها إلى المجلس ليس أمراً عجيباً. سواء كانت في ثوبٍ واحد أو حتى عارية، يمكن إحضارها إلى هنا—وهذا رأيي الصريح.»
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates adharma through abusive reasoning: Karna weaponizes a rigid claim about marriage to justify Draupadī’s public humiliation. The ethical lesson is that dharma cannot be upheld by slander, dehumanization, or coercion; public power used to shame the vulnerable is a mark of moral collapse in the assembly.
In the dice-hall episode, after the Pāṇḍavas are defeated and Draupadī is summoned, Karna speaks in the Kaurava court, addressing Duryodhana. He argues that because Draupadī has multiple husbands she should be treated as a courtesan, and he endorses bringing her into the assembly even in a state of undress—intensifying the outrage that defines the scene.