Shloka 25
पुनर्द्यूत-समाह्वानम्
Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager
तदनन्तर दुर्योधनके वशमें रहनेवाले प्रातिकामीने द्रौपदीके क्रोधसे डरते हुए अपने मान-सम्मानकी परवा न करके पुनः सभासदोंसे पूछा-- मैं द्रौपदीको क्या उत्तर दूँ?” ।।
duryodhana uvāca | duḥśāsana eṣa mama sūtaputro vṛkodarād uddvijate 'lpacetāḥ | svayaṃ pragṛhya ānaya yājñasenīṃ kiṃ te kariṣyanty avaśāḥ sapatnāḥ ||
Duryodhana disse: “Duḥśāsana, este filho de cocheiro—meu servidor—é de mente estreita e teme Vṛkodara (Bhīma). Tu mesmo agarra Yājñasenī (Draupadī) e trazes-na aqui. Que poderão fazer-te agora nossos rivais, os Pāṇḍavas, se estão impotentes e sob o nosso domínio?”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how arrogance and the intoxication of power lead to adharma: Duryodhana dismisses moral restraint, insults a subordinate, and commands the forcible seizure of Draupadī, assuming the Pāṇḍavas’ helplessness. It warns that when authority is divorced from dharma, it becomes cruelty and invites catastrophic consequences.
After the dice-game, Duryodhana derides Prātikāmī for fearing Bhīma and orders Duḥśāsana to personally seize and bring Draupadī into the royal assembly. He asserts that the Pāṇḍavas are currently powerless and cannot retaliate, escalating the public humiliation that becomes a turning point toward war.