Shloka 30

Devanagari script

मयात्र शक्‍यं कि कर्तु विराटे धर्मदूषके । यः पश्यन्‌ मां मर्षयति वध्यमानामनागसम्‌,“यहाँका राजा विराट भी धर्मको कलंकित करनेवाला है; जो मुझ निरपराध अबलाको अपने सामने मार खाती देखकर भी सहन किये जाता है। भला, इसके रहते मैं इस अपमानका बदला चुकानेके लिये क्या कर सकती हूँ?

Transliteration

mayātra śakyaṃ kiṃ kartuṃ virāṭe dharmadūṣake | yaḥ paśyan māṃ marṣayati vadhyamānām anāgasam ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana said: “What, here, can I possibly do while Virāṭa—who stains dharma—remains in power? He watches and yet endures it as I, an innocent and helpless woman, am being struck before his very eyes. With such a king present, how can I repay this humiliation or set right this wrong?”

Word by Word

मयाby me

अत्रhere

शक्यम्possible

किम्what

कर्तुम्to do

विराटेin/under Virāṭa (i.e., while Virāṭa is present/ruling)

धर्मदूषकेin/under the defiler of dharma

यःwho

पश्यन्seeing

माम्me

मर्षयतिendures/tolerates

वध्यमानाम्being slain/being beaten

अनागसम्innocent, guiltless

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Virāṭa

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?

A ruler who passively tolerates injustice—especially violence against the innocent—fails in rājadharma and becomes a ‘defiler of dharma’; ethical authority requires active protection, not mere witnessing.

What is happening in the narrative?

The speaker laments that King Virāṭa, though present, allows an innocent woman to be assaulted before his eyes; she questions what remedy or retaliation is possible while such a negligent king remains in control.