Shloka 8
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
कि नवतः कृपणं भूयो यदहं स्त्री सती शुभा । सभामध्यं विगाहेउद्य क्व नु धर्मो महीक्षिताम्
kiṁ navataḥ kṛpaṇaṁ bhūyo yad ahaṁ strī satī śubhā | sabhāmadhyaṁ vigāheyaṁ kva nu dharmo mahīkṣitām ||
Apa lagi yang lebih menyedihkan daripada ini—bahwa aku, seorang istri setia, perempuan berbudi dan membawa pertanda baik, dipaksa memasuki tengah sidang? Ke manakah dharma para raja hari ini?
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse indicts the collapse of royal dharma: rulers are obligated to protect justice and the dignity of the vulnerable, and a court that tolerates coercion and public humiliation has abandoned its moral purpose.
In the context of the dice-game aftermath, a virtuous woman is brought into the royal assembly against her will and publicly questions where the kings’ sense of righteousness and duty has gone.