Shloka 15
Bhīma–Draupadī Saṃvāda on Restraint, Protection, and the Kīcaka Threat
Virāṭa-parva, Adhyāya 20
वर्णावकाशमपि मे पश्य पाण्डव यादृशम् । तादृशो मे न तत्रासीद् दु:खे परमके तदा
varṇāvakāśam api me paśya pāṇḍava yādṛśam | tādṛśo me na tatrāsīd duḥkhe paramake tadā
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: “Wahai Pāṇḍava, lihatlah bahkan ruang yang ada padaku untuk berkata-kata dan bertindak—sebagaimana adanya kini. Pada waktu itu, dalam penderitaan yang paling dahsyat, aku tidak memiliki kebebasan atau kesempatan seperti ini.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how severe adversity can strip a person of ordinary freedom—of speech, choice, and initiative—inviting reflection on patience and endurance when circumstances leave little ‘room’ to act.
Vaiśaṃpāyana addresses a Pāṇḍava and contrasts the present ability to speak or act with an earlier period of intense distress, stating that in that earlier crisis he had no such opportunity or latitude.