Shloka 24
पुनर्द्यूत-समाह्वानम्
Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager
ततः: सूतस्तस्य वशानुगामी भीतश्च कोपाद् द्रपदात्मजाया: । विहाय मान पुनरेव सभ्या- नुवाच कृष्णां किमहं ब्रवीमि
tataḥ sūtas tasya vaśānugāmī bhītaś ca kopād drapadātmajāyāḥ | vihāya mānaṃ punar eva sabhyān uvāca kṛṣṇāṃ kim ahaṃ bravīmi ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন— তখন প্রভুর আদেশে বাধ্য সেই সূত দ্রুপদকন্যার ক্রোধে ভীত হয়ে অহং ত্যাগ করে আবার সভাসদদের উদ্দেশে বলল, এবং কৃষ্ণা (দ্রৌপদী)-কে বলল— “আমি কী বলব?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how coercion and fear can force a person to act against dignity, yet it also exposes the ethical tension of being an instrument of another’s will in an unjust situation—especially in a public assembly where words carry moral weight.
A sūta, acting under his master’s command, becomes afraid of Draupadī’s anger. He drops his pride and turns back to address the court again, speaking to Draupadī and expressing uncertainty: “What am I to say?”