Shloka 24
Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20
इत्यस्य दर्शयामास किणवन्तौ करावुभौ,ऐसा कहकर द्रौपदीने भीमसेनको अपने दोनों हाथ दिखाये, जिनमें चन्दन रगड़नेसे काले दाग पड़ गये थे
iti asya darśayāmāsa kiṇavantau karāv ubhau
قال فَيْشَمْبايَنَة: وبعد أن قالت ذلك، أَرَتْهُ يديها كلتيهما، وقد خشنتا وتلطختا، وعليهما سوادُ الأثر من طحن الصندل.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how visible signs of forced labor and indignity can serve as moral testimony, calling for righteous protection and just response rather than indifference to another’s suffering.
After speaking, Draupadī shows Bhīmasena her two hands, rough and darkened from grinding sandalwood, to demonstrate the hardship and humiliation she has been made to bear while in disguise.