Shloka 44
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
द्रौपदी च परिक्लिष्टा सभामध्ये रजस्वला । द्यूते यद् विजितो राजा शकुनेरबुद्धिनिश्चयात्
draūpadī ca parikliṣṭā sabhāmadhye rajasvalā | dyūte yad vijito rājā śakuner abuddhiniścayāt ||
Sañjaya berkata: «Dan Draupadī, yang menderita dan sedang dalam masa haidnya, telah diseksa di tengah balairung; dan raja (Yudhiṣṭhira) ditewaskan dalam permainan dadu oleh tekad jahat Śakuni yang diperhitungkan rapi. Lihatlah hari ini dengan matamu sendiri buah yang berat dan sial daripada kezaliman itu—bagaimana engkau menyakiti Draupadī di hadapan sidang penuh, bagaimana engkau menewaskan raja dengan tipu daya atas nasihat Śakuni, dan bagaimana engkau melakukan dosa serta kekejaman lain terhadap putera-putera Pāṇḍu yang tidak bersalah.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Adharma—especially public humiliation, deceit in gambling, and violence against the innocent—inevitably ripens into painful consequences. The verse frames the war’s suffering as the moral fruit (karma-phala) of earlier injustices, highlighting the duty to protect the vulnerable and uphold fairness.
Sañjaya recalls the infamous dice-hall episode: Draupadī was distressed and abused in the assembly while Yudhiṣṭhira was fraudulently defeated through Śakuni’s stratagem. He points to the present calamity as the visible outcome of those past wrongs committed against Draupadī and the Pāṇḍavas.