Shloka 76

Kirmīra-rākṣasa-saṃgamaḥ (Encounter and Slaying of Kirmīra) | किर्मीरेण सह भीमसेनसमागमः

Devanagari script

अधर्मेण द्वतं राज्यं सर्वे दासा: कृतास्तथा । सभायां परिकृष्टाहमेकवस्त्रा रजस्वला,अधर्मसे सारा राज्य हरण कर लिया गया, सब पाण्डव दास बना दिये गये और मैं एकवस्त्रधारिणी रजस्वला होनेपर भी सभामें घसीटकर लायी गयी

Transliteration

adharmeṇa dyūtaṃ rājyaṃ sarve dāsāḥ kṛtās tathā | sabhāyāṃ parikṛṣṭāham ekavastrā rajasvalā ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dijo: «Por medios injustos se llevó a cabo la partida de dados y el reino fue arrebatado; así, todos los Pāṇḍavas fueron hechos esclavos. Y a mí—aunque vestía una sola prenda y estaba en mi período menstrual—me arrastraron hasta la asamblea real.»

Word by Word

अधर्मेणby unrighteousness / unjustly

द्यूतंgambling / dice-play

राज्यंkingdom

सर्वेall

दासाःslaves

कृताःmade (were made)

तथाthus / likewise

सभायाम्in the assembly hall

परिकृष्टाdragged / pulled

अहम्I

एकवस्त्राwearing a single garment

रजस्वलाmenstruating

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

sabhā (royal assembly hall)

rājya (kingdom)

dyūta (dice-game)

Pāṇḍavas

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse condemns adharma in governance and public judgment: when power is pursued through unjust means (adharma), it legitimizes cruelty—turning free persons into slaves and violating the dignity of a woman even in a vulnerable condition—thereby corrupting the very idea of royal justice.

What is happening in the narrative?

In the aftermath of the dice-game, the Pāṇḍavas are declared enslaved and their kingdom is taken. The speaker (contextually Draupadī’s plight as narrated by Vaiśampāyana) describes being forcibly dragged into the assembly while wearing only one garment and while menstruating, highlighting the extremity of the outrage.