Shloka 11
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 181 — Svayaṃvara Aftermath: Arjuna–Karna Exchange and Bhīma–Śalya Contest
तयो: प्रद्रवतोर्विप्रं जग्राह नृपतिर्बलात् | दृष्टवा गृहीतं भर्तारमथ ब्राह्म॒ण्यभाषत,उन भागते हुए दम्पतिमेंसे ब्राह्मणको राजाने बलपूर्वक पकड़ लिया। पतिको राक्षसके हाथमें पड़ा देख ब्राह्मणी बोली--
tayoḥ pradravatyor vipraṁ jagrāha nṛpatir balāt | dṛṣṭvā gṛhītaṁ bhartāram atha brāhmaṇy abhāṣata ||
As the two fled, the king seized the Brahmin by force. Seeing her husband caught in the grasp of the (Gandharva-like) captor, the Brahmin woman spoke—setting the stage for an appeal grounded in dharma, protection of the innocent, and the limits of royal power.
गन्धर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds a dharmic tension: royal power used 'by force' against a vulnerable Brahmin household. It prepares for a moral protest—implying that authority must be restrained by righteousness, especially in protecting the innocent and respecting social-ethical boundaries.
A fleeing couple is pursued; the king forcibly grabs the Brahmin. The Brahmin woman, seeing her husband captured, begins to speak—likely to plead, argue dharma, or challenge the legitimacy of the act.