Shloka 18
भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शमोपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel of Conciliation to Duryodhana
यत्र सा बृहती श्यामा सभायां रुदती तदा । अश्रौषीत् परुषा वाचस्तन्मे दुःखतरं महत्
yatra sā bṛhatī śyāmā sabhāyāṃ rudatī tadā | aśrauṣīt paruṣā vācas tan me duḥkhataraṃ mahat ||
ആ സമയത്ത് ആ ദീർഘകായയായ ശ്യാമവർണ്ണിനി സഭയിൽ കരഞ്ഞുകൊണ്ടിരിക്കെ, അവൾ കഠിനവചനങ്ങൾ കേൾക്കേണ്ടിവന്നു—ശ്രീകൃഷ്ണാ! അതാണ് എനിക്ക് ഏറ്റവും വലിയതും സഹിക്കാനാവാത്തതുമായ ദുഃഖം.
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse elevates moral injury above material loss: the public humiliation of a virtuous woman in a royal court is portrayed as a deeper, more consequential wrong than losing a kingdom. It underscores that adharma in the assembly—cruel speech, abuse of power, and failure to protect the vulnerable—creates a debt of justice that drives the epic toward conflict.
The speaker recalls the infamous sabhā episode: Draupadī, described as tall and dark-complexioned, weeps in the court while being subjected to harsh words. Addressing Śrī Kṛṣṇa, he states that this scene—Draupadī hearing Duryodhana’s bitter speech in a crowded assembly—causes him greater anguish than the loss at dice or the exile of his sons.