Shloka 12
सभा-पर्यवसान-प्रस्थानवचनम् | Counsel at the Point of Departure
अयं मां सुद॒ढं क्षुद्र: कौरवाणां यशोहर: । क्लिश्राति नाहं तत् सोढुं चिरं शक्ष्यामि कौरवा:
ayaṃ māṃ sudṛḍhaṃ kṣudraḥ kauravāṇāṃ yaśoharaḥ | kliśrāti nāhaṃ tat soḍhuṃ ciraṃ śakṣyāmi kauravāḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Lelaki hina ini—yang mencemarkan kemasyhuran kaum Kaurava—sedang menyeksa aku tanpa henti. Wahai Kaurava, aku tidak akan mampu menanggung derita ini lama lagi.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how adharma manifests as public humiliation and the stripping of honor; a single person’s cruelty can stain an entire lineage’s reputation, making ethical restraint and protection of dignity central to kṣatriya and royal duty.
In the Kuru court context, a woman (implicitly Draupadī) laments that a vile Kaurava (contextually Duḥśāsana) is grievously tormenting her and that she cannot endure the outrage much longer, underscoring the escalating injustice in the assembly.