Shloka 35

Devanagari script

एको भर्ता स्त्रिया देवैरविहित: कुरुनन्दन । इयं त्वनेकवशगा बन्धकीति विनिश्चिता,कुरुनन्दन! देवताओंने स्त्रीके लिये एक ही पतिका विधान किया है; परंतु यह द्रौपदी अनेक पतियोंके अधीन है, अतः यह निश्चय ही वेश्या है। इसका सभामें लाया जाना कोई अनोखी बात नहीं है। यह एकवस्त्रा अथवा नंगी हो तो भी यहाँ लायी जा सकती है, यह मेरा स्पष्ट मत है

Transliteration

eko bhartā striyā devair avihitaḥ kurunandana | iyaṁ tv anekavaśagā bandhakīti viniścitā ||

Translation

Karna said: “O joy of the Kurus, the gods have ordained for a woman only one husband. But this Draupadī is subject to many men; therefore she is decisively to be regarded as a courtesan. Hence, bringing her into the assembly is nothing extraordinary. Whether she is clothed in a single garment or even unclothed, she may be brought here—this is my clear opinion.”

Word by Word

एकःone (single)

भर्ताhusband

स्त्रियाःof a woman

देवैःby the gods

अविहितःordained / prescribed

कुरुनन्दनO joy of the Kurus

इयम्this (woman)

तुbut

अनेकवशगाsubject to many (men)

बन्धकीharlot / prostitute

इतिthus

विनिश्चिताdetermined / concluded

Speaker

कर्ण उवाच

Characters & Entities

Karna

Kurunandana (Duryodhana)

the gods (deva)

woman (strī)

Draupadī (implied by context)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.