Shloka 9
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
धर्म्या स्त्रियं सभां पूर्वे न नयन्तीति न: श्रुतम् । स नष्ट: कौरवेयेषु पूर्वो धर्म: सनातन:
dharmyāṁ striyaṁ sabhāṁ pūrve na nayantīti naḥ śrutam | sa naṣṭaḥ kauraveyeṣu pūrvo dharmaḥ sanātanaḥ ||
Waiśampāyana berkata: “Kami mendengar bahwa pada masa lampau orang tidak membawa perempuan yang berpegang pada dharma ke dalam sidang kerajaan. Namun di kalangan Kaurava, dharma yang tua dan abadi itu telah musnah.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse condemns the collapse of established dharma: a righteous woman should not be dragged into a public court for humiliation. It frames the Kauravas’ conduct as a violation of an ancient, enduring ethical norm.
In the context of the dice-hall events, the narrator remarks that tradition forbids bringing a virtuous woman into the assembly; nevertheless, the Kauravas have allowed (and caused) this breach, showing that their society has abandoned the old dharma.