Shloka 18
Indrajit’s Binding, Restoration by Viśalyā, and Counsel Restraining Rāvaṇa (Āraṇyaka Parva 273)
22 द्रौपदी चाब्रवीद् भीममभिप्रेक्ष्य युधिष्ठिरम् । दासो<थयं मुच्यतां राज्ञस्त्ववा पडचसट: कृत:,उस समय द्रौपदीने भी युधिष्ठिकी ओर देखकर भीमसेनसे कहा--“आपने इसका सिर मूँड़कर पाँच चोटियाँ रख दी हैं तथा यह महाराजका दास हो गया है; अतः अब इसे छोड़ दीजिये'
draupadī cābravīd bhīmam abhiprekṣya yudhiṣṭhiram | dāso 'thāyaṃ mucyatāṃ rājñas tvayā pañcaśikhaḥ kṛtaḥ ||
Draupadī, glancing toward Yudhiṣṭhira, spoke to Bhīmasena: “This man has now become the king’s slave, and you have shaved his head leaving five tufts. Therefore, let him be released.”
भीमसेन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when punishment has been inflicted and honor restored, dharma favors restraint: once the offender has been reduced to servitude and publicly marked, further violence is to be checked, and release may be granted under the king’s authority.
Draupadī addresses Bhīma while looking to Yudhiṣṭhira for sanction, noting that the man has already been humiliated (head shaved with five tufts) and made the king’s slave; she urges Bhīma to let him go.