Shloka 22
यातानि परराष्ट्राणि नूपा भुक्ताश्च दासवत्
yātāni pararāṣṭrāṇi nūpā bhuktāś ca dāsavat
സഞ്ജയൻ പറഞ്ഞു—“അവർ മറ്റുരാജ്യങ്ങളിലേക്കു പോയിരിക്കുന്നു; അവിടെ ദാസന്മാരെപ്പോലെ ഉപയോഗിക്കപ്പെട്ടു—ആശ്രിതരാക്കി ചൂഷണം ചെയ്യപ്പെട്ടു.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical degradation that follows the loss of sovereignty and protection: when people are driven into чужие realms, they may be treated as mere instruments for others’ pleasure and profit. It implicitly condemns exploitation and underscores a ruler’s dharma to safeguard dependents from such humiliation.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra about the harsh consequences faced by those displaced by conflict—forced to go to foreign kingdoms and reduced to a condition of servitude, treated ‘like slaves’ rather than as free persons with dignity.