Shloka 13
Draupadī’s Lament and the Question of Kṣatriya Forbearance (द्रौपद्याः शोकप्रलापः क्षमानिर्णयश्च)
क्षमिणं तादृशं तात ब्रुवन्ति कटुकान्यपि । प्रेष्या: पुत्राश्न भृत्याश्ष तथोदासीनवृत्तय:,तात! उपर्युक्त क्षमाशीलको अपने सेवक, पुत्र, भृत्य तथा उदासीनवृत्तिके लोग कटुवचन भी सुनाया करते हैं
kṣamiṇaṃ tādṛśaṃ tāta bruvanti kaṭukāny api | preṣyāḥ putrāś ca bhṛtyāś ca tathodāsīna-vṛttayaḥ ||
Prahlāda said: “Dear one, even to a person of such forbearance, people still speak harsh words. Servants, sons, dependants, and even those who remain outwardly indifferent may all address the patient-hearted with bitterness.”
प्रह्माद उवाच
Educational Q&A
Forbearance is a virtue, yet it often attracts disrespect; therefore one should practice patience and restraint without expecting others to respond kindly.
Prahlāda is instructing the listener about human behavior: even a notably patient person may be spoken to harshly by those close to him—servants, children, dependants, and indifferent bystanders—highlighting the social reality that tests the virtue of kṣamā.