Shloka 16
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
ब्राह्मणा: श्रेणिमुख्याश्व तथोदासीनवृत्तय: । किं मां वक्ष्यन्ति कि चापि प्रतिवक्ष्यामि तानहम्,भीष्म, द्रोण, कृपाचार्य, अश्वत्थामा, विदुर, संजय, बाह्नलीक, भूरिश्रवा तथा अन्य जो वृद्ध पुरुषोंके लिये आदरणीय महानुभाव हैं वे, तथा ब्राह्मण, प्रमुख वैश्यगण और उदासीन वृत्तिवाले लोग मुझसे क्या कहेंगे और मैं उन्हें क्या उत्तर दूँगा?
brāhmaṇāḥ śreṇimukhyāś ca tathodāsīnavṛttayaḥ | kiṁ māṁ vakṣyanti kiṁ cāpi prativakṣyāmi tān aham || bhīṣma-droṇa-kṛpācārya-aśvatthāmā-vidura-sañjaya-bāhlīka-bhūriśravādayaś ca ye vṛddhapuruṣāṇāṁ pūjyā mahānubhāvāḥ ||
Duryodhana dit : «Que me diront les brahmanes, les chefs des corporations et ceux qui vivent dans un détachement neutre ? Et que leur répondrai-je ? Que me diront les anciens révérés — Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vidura, Sanjaya, Bahlika, Bhūrishravas, et d’autres grands hommes dignes d’honneur parmi les âgés ?»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability: a ruler’s actions are judged not only by power but by dharma-minded communities—Brahmins, civic leaders, neutral observers, and revered elders. Duryodhana anticipates ethical scrutiny and feels the burden of having no defensible reply, implying that wrongdoing collapses one’s ability to answer the wise.
Duryodhana reflects anxiously on how respected elders and socially authoritative groups will address him. By naming Bhishma, Drona, Kripa, Ashvatthama, Vidura, Sanjaya, Bahlika, and Bhurishravas, he frames a looming confrontation with moral and social authority—people whose approval matters and whose reproach would be difficult to refute.