Shloka 8
Sundopasundayoḥ Tapas–Varadāna–Prasaṅgaḥ
Sunda and Upasunda: Austerities and the Boon
ईप्सितश्न गुण: स्त्रीणामेकस्या बहुभर्तृता । तं च प्राप्तवती कृष्णा न सा भेदयितु क्षमा,प्राय: स्त्रियोंका यह अभीष्ट गुण है कि एक स्त्रीमें अनेक पुरुषोंसे सम्बन्ध स्थापित करनेकी रुचि हो। पाण्डवोंके साथ रहनेमें कृष्णाको यह लाभ स्वतः प्राप्त है; अतः उसके मनमें भेद नहीं उत्पन्न किया जा सकता
īpsitaś ca guṇaḥ strīṇām ekasyā bahubhartṛtā | taṃ ca prāptavatī kṛṣṇā na sā bhedayituṃ kṣamā ||
Karna dit : «Une qualité que l’on dit souvent désirée chez les femmes est qu’une seule femme puisse avoir plusieurs époux. Kṛṣṇā (Draupadī) a précisément obtenu cette condition en vivant avec les Pāṇḍava ; dès lors, on ne saurait la pousser à créer la division entre eux. »
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how ethical discourse can be distorted into character-assassination: Karna frames Draupadī’s polyandrous marriage as a supposed ‘natural desire’ and uses it to argue she cannot be used to create discord among the Pāṇḍavas. It highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with speech (vāk) as a moral force—capable of injustice when used for slander or political ends.
In the context of Draupadī’s marriage to the five Pāṇḍavas, Karna speaks critically about her situation, portraying her as inclined toward multiple husbands and therefore not a suitable instrument to sow division among the brothers. The statement functions as a rhetorical move within courtly/political tension surrounding the Pāṇḍavas and Draupadī.