Shloka 16
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
ब्राह्मणा: श्रेणिमुख्याश्व तथोदासीनवृत्तय: । किं मां वक्ष्यन्ति कि चापि प्रतिवक्ष्यामि तानहम्
brāhmaṇāḥ śreṇimukhyāś ca tathodāsīnavṛttayaḥ | kiṁ māṁ vakṣyanti kiṁ cāpi prativakṣyāmi tān aham || bhīṣma-droṇa-kṛpācārya-aśvatthāmā-vidura-sañjaya-bāhlīka-bhūriśravādayaś ca ye vṛddhapuruṣāṇāṁ pūjyā mahānubhāvāḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “What will the Brahmins, the leading men of the guilds, and those who keep to a detached, neutral way of life say to me? And what, in turn, shall I answer them? What will revered elders—Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vidura, Sanjaya, Bahlika, Bhurishravas, and other great men worthy of honor among the aged—say to me?”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability: a ruler’s actions are judged not only by power but by dharma-minded communities—Brahmins, civic leaders, neutral observers, and revered elders. Duryodhana anticipates ethical scrutiny and feels the burden of having no defensible reply, implying that wrongdoing collapses one’s ability to answer the wise.
Duryodhana reflects anxiously on how respected elders and socially authoritative groups will address him. By naming Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vidura, Sanjaya, Bahlika, and Bhurishravas, he frames a looming confrontation with moral and social authority—people whose approval matters and whose reproach would be difficult to refute.