Shloka 5
पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानवर्णनम् / The Pāṇḍavas’ Departure for the Forest
Vidura’s Report and Portents
प्रयोजनं जन्मनि कि न मन्यते पराक्रमं पौरुषं चैव पार्थ: । पाज्चाल्यस्य द्रुपदस्यात्मजामिमां सभामध्ये यो व्यदेवीद् ग्लहेषु
prayojanaṃ janmani kiṃ na manyate parākramaṃ pauruṣaṃ caiva pārthaḥ | pāñcālyasya drupadasyātmajām imāṃ sabhāmadhye yo vyadevīd glahēṣu ||
Karna said: “Does Pārtha (Yudhiṣṭhira), in this very life, not recognize the need for purpose, valor, and manly effort? He who, in the midst of the royal assembly, staked this daughter of Drupada of the Pāñcālas—Kṛṣṇā—upon the throws of the dice.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical collapse caused by gambling and the failure of responsible agency: a ruler who should embody purpose, courage, and self-control instead treats a person as property in a wager, raising sharp questions about dharma, honor, and accountability.
In the dice-game episode of the royal assembly, Karna attacks Yudhiṣṭhira’s judgment, pointing out that he publicly wagered Draupadī (Kṛṣṇā), Drupada’s daughter, during the game—an act used to shame the Pāṇḍavas and intensify the court’s moral crisis.