Shloka 7
Vidura Leaves Hastināpura and Meets Uddhava
Vidura’s Tīrtha-yātrā Begins
यदा सभायां कुरुदेवदेव्या: केशाभिमर्शं सुतकर्म गर्ह्यम् । न वारयामास नृप: स्नुषाया: स्वास्रैर्हरन्त्या: कुचकुङ्कुमानि ॥ ७ ॥
yadā sabhāyāṁ kuru-deva-devyāḥ keśābhimarśaṁ suta-karma garhyam na vārayām āsa nṛpaḥ snuṣāyāḥ svāsrair harantyāḥ kuca-kuṅkumāni
When, in the royal assembly, his son Duḥśāsana committed the shameful deed of seizing the hair of Draupadī—the revered queen of the Kuru line and wife of the righteous King Yudhiṣṭhira—the king did not forbid it, though her tears washed away the red kumkuma upon her breast.
FAQs
This verse recalls the condemnable act of seizing Draupadī’s hair in the assembly and highlights the moral collapse when the king failed to restrain the offenders, showing how adharma spreads when leaders remain silent.
He is criticized because, as the king and elder of the Kuru court, he did not stop the outrage against his own daughter-in-law, revealing attachment and weakness that enabled injustice.
The verse teaches that witnessing wrongdoing without intervening—especially by those with authority—makes one complicit; dharma requires timely protection of the vulnerable and speaking up against injustice.