Shloka 18
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 72 — Bhīmasena’s counsel on conciliation and Duryodhana’s disposition
दुःशासनेन पापेन तदा झूते प्रवर्तिते । अनाथवत् तदा देवी द्रौपदी सुदुरात्मना
duḥśāsanena pāpena tadā dyūte pravartite | anāthavat tadā devī draupadī sudurātmanā ||
जेव्हा जुगाराचा खेळ सुरू झाला होता, तेव्हा त्या पापी दुःशासनाने—अत्यंत दुरात्मा होऊन—देवी द्रौपदीला अनाथासारखे मानून सभेत अपमानित केले.
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that public humiliation and exploitation of the vulnerable—especially in a royal assembly—constitute severe adharma. Such acts corrode social order and inevitably demand moral reckoning, becoming a seed of large-scale conflict.
Yudhiṣṭhira recalls the dice-game episode: Duḥśāsana, described as sinful and wicked, abuses and humiliates Draupadī as if she were without protection. The recollection functions as an indictment of the Kaurava side’s wrongdoing and a justification for the Pāṇḍavas’ demand for justice.