Shloka 9
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
धर्म्या स्त्रियं सभां पूर्वे न नयन्तीति न: श्रुतम् । स नष्ट: कौरवेयेषु पूर्वो धर्म: सनातन:
dharmyāṁ striyaṁ sabhāṁ pūrve na nayantīti naḥ śrutam | sa naṣṭaḥ kauraveyeṣu pūrvo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
قال فَيْشَمْبَايَنَة: «لقد سمعنا أنّ الناس في الأزمنة الأولى لم يكونوا يُدخلون امرأةً صالحة إلى مجلس الملوك. ولكن بين الكاورافا قد دُمِّر ذلك المعيار القديم، الأبديّ، للدَّرْم.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns the collapse of established dharma: a righteous woman should not be dragged into a public court for humiliation. It frames the Kauravas’ conduct as a violation of an ancient, enduring ethical norm.
In the context of the dice-hall events, the narrator remarks that tradition forbids bringing a virtuous woman into the assembly; nevertheless, the Kauravas have allowed (and caused) this breach, showing that their society has abandoned the old dharma.