Shloka 27
कर्णस्य मन्त्रः — Duryodhana-प्रति नीति-विचारः
Karna’s Counsel on Strategy toward the Pāṇḍavas
दुपद उवाच एकस्य बह्दयो विहिता महिष्य: कुरुनन्दन । नैकस्या बहव: पुंस: श्रूयन्ते पतय: क्वचित्,द्रुपद बोले--'कुरुनन्दन! एक राजा बहुत-सी रानियाँ (अथवा एक पुरुषकी अनेक स्त्रियाँ) हों, ऐसा विधान तो वेदोंमें देखा गया है; परंतु एक स्त्रीके अनेक पुरुष पति हों, ऐसा कहीं सुननेमें नहीं आया है-
drupada uvāca | ekasya bahvyo vihitā mahiṣyaḥ kurunandana | naikasyā bahavaḥ puṁsaḥ śrūyante patayaḥ kvacit ||
Drupada said: “O delight of the Kurus, the Vedas and established ordinances allow that one man may have many queens. But that one woman should have many husbands—this is not heard of anywhere.”
दुपद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Drupada appeals to śāstric precedent: polygyny for a man is presented as sanctioned in tradition, whereas polyandry for a woman is claimed to be without precedent; the verse frames dharma as grounded in what is ‘heard’ (śruti/smṛti-based social memory) and socially recognized norms.
In the discussion surrounding Draupadī’s marriage, Drupada voices an objection: he argues that while one man having multiple wives is accepted, one woman having multiple husbands is not traditionally attested, and he addresses a Kuru prince (Kurunandana, i.e., Arjuna) while making this point.