Shloka 18
दुःशासनेन पापेन तदा झूते प्रवर्तिते । अनाथवत् तदा देवी द्रौपदी सुदुरात्मना,उन दिनों जब जूएका खेल चल रहा था, अत्यन्त दुरात्मा पापी दुःशासन अनाथकी भाँति रोती-कलपती हुई महारानी द्रौपदीको उनके केश पकड़कर राजसभामें घसीट लाया और भीष्म तथा द्रोणाचार्य आदिके समक्ष उसने उनका उपहास करते हुए बारंबार उसे “गाय” कहकर पुकारा
duḥśāsanena pāpena tadā dyūte pravartite | anāthavat tadā devī draupadī sudurātmanā ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “When the game of dice had begun, the sinful Duḥśāsana—of utterly wicked mind—treated Queen Draupadī as though she had no protector, subjecting her to humiliation in the assembly. This outrage, carried out in the presence of elders, stands as a grave violation of dharma and a decisive moral turning point that fuels the coming war.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that public humiliation and exploitation of the vulnerable—especially in a royal assembly—constitute severe adharma. Such acts corrode social order and inevitably demand moral reckoning, becoming a seed of large-scale conflict.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls the dice-game episode: Duḥśāsana, described as sinful and wicked, abuses and humiliates Draupadī as if she were without protection. The recollection functions as an indictment of the Kaurava side’s wrongdoing and a justification for the Pāṇḍavas’ demand for justice.