Shloka 53
पुनर्द्यूत-समाह्वानम्
Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager
(न सा सभा यत्र न सन्ति वृद्धा नते वृद्धा ये न वदन्ति धर्मम् नासौ धर्मों यत्र न सत्यमस्ति न तत् सत्यं यच्छलेनानुविद्धम् ।।
na sā sabhā yatra na santi vṛddhā
nate vṛddhā ye na vadanti dharmam |
nāsau dharmo yatra na satyam asti
na tat satyaṃ yac chale'nanuviddham ||
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
tathā bruvantīṃ karuṇaṃ rudantīm
avekṣamāṇāṃ kṛpaṇān patīṃs tān |
duḥśāsanaḥ paruṣāṇy apriyāṇi
vākyāny uvāca amadhurāṇi caiva ||
«No es asamblea aquella donde no hay ancianos. No son verdaderos ancianos quienes no hablan de dharma. No es dharma aquello en lo que falta la verdad; y no es verdad lo que está manchado por el engaño». Dijo Vaiśampāyana: «Oh Janamejaya, mientras Draupadī hablaba así con voz de angustia, llorando y mirando hacia sus desdichados esposos, Duḥśāsana le dirigió muchas palabras ásperas, indeseables y amargas».
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A legitimate court depends on morally courageous elders who uphold dharma by speaking truth. Dharma is inseparable from satya, and ‘truth’ loses its status when it is mixed with deceit (chala).
In the Kuru assembly, Draupadī laments the failure of the elders and the collapse of justice. As she weeps and looks to her husbands for support, Duḥśāsana responds with cruel, insulting speech, intensifying her humiliation.