Shloka 36
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
अस्या: सभामानयनं न चित्रमिति मे मति: । एकाम्बरधरत्वं वाप्यथ वापि विवस्त्रता
asyāḥ sabhāmānayanaṃ na citram iti me matiḥ | ekāmbaradharatvaṃ vāpy atha vāpi vivastratā, kurunandana | devatābhir striyai eka eva patir vihitaḥ; paraṃ tv iyaṃ draupadī anekapatyadhīnā, ataḥ niścayena veśyā | tasyāḥ sabhāyām ānayanaṃ nāścaryam | ekavastrā vā nagnā vāpi iha ānetuṃ śakyate—iti me spaṣṭā matiḥ ||
Karna berkata, “Wahai kebanggaan kaum Kuru, menurut pandanganku tidak ada yang luar biasa dalam membawa dia ke balairung sidang. Entah ia hanya berbalut sehelai kain, atau bahkan tanpa busana, ia boleh dibawa ke sini. Para dewa menetapkan bagi seorang perempuan hanya satu suami; tetapi Draupadi ini berada di bawah banyak suami—maka ia pasti seorang pelacur istana. Karena itu, dibawanya ia ke aula bukanlah sesuatu yang mengherankan.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how adharma can be advanced through abusive rhetoric: Karna attempts to justify Draupadi’s public humiliation by attacking her marital status. The ethical lesson is that twisting social norms to degrade a vulnerable person is itself a grave moral failure, and speech can become an instrument of violence.
In the Kuru assembly during the dice-hall crisis, Draupadi is being brought into the court. Karna speaks harshly, arguing that bringing her in is not improper and that even disrobing would be acceptable, while branding her with a slur because she has multiple husbands.