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 ||
વૈશંપાયને કહ્યું—મૂર્ખતાવશ જ્યારે દુઃશાસને તેણીને દાસીની જેમ ઘસડી, ત્યારે જ સ્પષ્ટ થયું કે આ મહાન વંશ અપમાનિત થઈ પરાભવને પામ્યો છે।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
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.