Shloka 16
भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शमोपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel of Conciliation to Duryodhana
यच्च व: प्रेक्षमाणानां सर्वधर्मोपचायिनाम् । पाज्चाली परुषाप्युक्ता को नु तत् क्षन्तुमहति,'पाण्डवो! सब प्रकारसे धर्मकी वृद्धि करनेवाले तुम सब लोगोंके देखते-देखते पांचालराजकुमारी द्रौपदीको जो कटुवचन सुनाये गये हैं, उन्हें कौन वीर क्षमा कर सकता है?”
yacca vaḥ prekṣamāṇānāṃ sarvadharmopacāyinām | pāñcālī paruṣāpyuktā ko nu tat kṣantum arhati ||
“Dan lagi, ketika kamu—yang memupuk pertumbuhan segala bentuk dharma—sedang menyaksikan, Pāñcālī telah dihina dengan kata-kata yang keras. Siapakah, sesungguhnya, yang mampu memaafkan hal itu?”
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Draupadī’s public insult as a moral outrage witnessed by dharma-upholding heroes, implying that tolerating or forgiving such adharma would itself be ethically untenable; it highlights the tension between forbearance and the duty to uphold justice and honor.
A son (putra) addresses the Pāṇḍavas, recalling that while they were present, Draupadī (Pāñcālī) was subjected to harsh speech; he uses this remembered humiliation to argue that such an offense cannot simply be forgiven, strengthening the case for decisive action.