Shloka 9
इदं हि वासो यदि वेदृशानां मनस्विनां रौरवमाहवेषु । अदीक्षितानामजिनानि यद्वद् बलीयसां पश्यत पाण्डवानाम्
idaṃ hi vāso yadi vīdṛśānāṃ manasvināṃ rauravam āhaveṣu | adīkṣitānām ajināni yadvat balīyasāṃ paśyata pāṇḍavānām ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは言った。「見よ、気概高く力強いパーンダヴァたちのこの衣を――戦いのただ中で身にまとう粗い獣皮である。かかる覆いは剛毅の士にふさわしいこともあろう。だが彼らの上では、祭祀における受戒（dīkṣā）に結びつく聖なる鹿皮としては見えず、むしろ入戒なき者がまとう皮衣のように映る――それは彼らからダルマの尊厳と儀礼上の位を奪い、辱めるための譬えである。」
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how social and ethical standing is rhetorically constructed through symbols: a deerskin can signify sacred discipline when linked to dīkṣā (consecration), but the same object can be weaponized as an insult by denying that sacred context. It warns how dharma-language and ritual markers may be used to confer or strip honor.
In the Sabha Parva’s tense court setting, the Pāṇḍavas are being publicly disparaged. Their hide-garments are pointed out and reinterpreted not as dignified, rite-associated attire but as the crude skins of the uninitiated—an attempt to shame them and undermine their prestige.