Shloka 11
Adhyāya 16 — Daiva, Kṣatriya-dharma, and Public Reassurance to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
दुःशासनो यदा मौख््याद् दासीवत् पर्यकर्षत | तदैव विदितं महां पराभूतमिदं कुलम्
duḥśāsano yadā maukhyād dāsīvat paryakarṣat | tadaiva viditaṃ mahān parābhūtam idaṃ kulam ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Lorsque, par sottise, Duḥśāsana la traîna comme une femme esclave, il devint clair, à l’instant même, que cette grande lignée était tombée dans l’opprobre et la défaite.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Public humiliation of a woman—especially in a royal assembly—marks a decisive collapse of dharma; such adharma is not a private fault but a sign that the entire lineage has forfeited its moral legitimacy and invites ruin.
The speaker recalls the infamous episode where Duḥśāsana, in reckless folly, dragged the queen (implicitly Draupadī) as if she were a slave. This act is presented as the moment when the downfall and disgrace of the Kuru family became unmistakably evident.