Shloka 36
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
अस्या: सभामानयनं न चित्रमिति मे मति: । एकाम्बरधरत्वं वाप्यथ वापि विवस्त्रता,कुरुनन्दन! देवताओंने स्त्रीके लिये एक ही पतिका विधान किया है; परंतु यह द्रौपदी अनेक पतियोंके अधीन है, अतः यह निश्चय ही वेश्या है। इसका सभामें लाया जाना कोई अनोखी बात नहीं है। यह एकवस्त्रा अथवा नंगी हो तो भी यहाँ लायी जा सकती है, यह मेरा स्पष्ट मत है
asyāḥ sabhāmānayanaṃ na citram iti me matiḥ | ekāmbaradharatvaṃ vāpy atha vāpi vivastratā, kurunandana | devatābhir striyai eka eva patir vihitaḥ; paraṃ tv iyaṃ draupadī anekapatyadhīnā, ataḥ niścayena veśyā | tasyāḥ sabhāyām ānayanaṃ nāścaryam | ekavastrā vā nagnā vāpi iha ānetuṃ śakyate—iti me spaṣṭā matiḥ ||
Dijo Karna: «A mi juicio, no hay nada extraordinario en traerla a la asamblea. Ya vista con una sola prenda, o incluso desnuda, puede ser traída aquí, oh gloria de los Kuru. Los dioses han ordenado para una mujer un solo esposo; pero esta Draupadī está sujeta a muchos esposos—por ello, sin duda es una cortesana. Así pues, que sea traída al salón no tiene nada de asombroso».
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how adharma can be advanced through abusive rhetoric: Karna attempts to justify Draupadi’s public humiliation by attacking her marital status. The ethical lesson is that twisting social norms to degrade a vulnerable person is itself a grave moral failure, and speech can become an instrument of violence.
In the Kuru assembly during the dice-hall crisis, Draupadi is being brought into the court. Karna speaks harshly, arguing that bringing her in is not improper and that even disrobing would be acceptable, while branding her with a slur because she has multiple husbands.