Shloka 35
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
एको भर्ता स्त्रिया देवैरविहित: कुरुनन्दन । इयं त्वनेकवशगा बन्धकीति विनिश्चिता
eko bhartā striyā devair avihitaḥ kurunandana | iyaṁ tv anekavaśagā bandhakīti viniścitā ||
Karna disse: “Ó alegria dos Kurus, os deuses ordenaram para a mulher apenas um marido. Mas esta Draupadī está sujeita a muitos homens; portanto, deve ser tida, de modo decisivo, como uma cortesã. Assim, trazê-la à assembleia não é nada extraordinário. Quer esteja vestida com uma única peça, quer mesmo desnuda, pode ser trazida aqui — esta é a minha opinião clara.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates adharma through abusive reasoning: Karna weaponizes a rigid claim about marriage to justify Draupadī’s public humiliation. The ethical lesson is that dharma cannot be upheld by slander, dehumanization, or coercion; public power used to shame the vulnerable is a mark of moral collapse in the assembly.
In the dice-hall episode, after the Pāṇḍavas are defeated and Draupadī is summoned, Karna speaks in the Kaurava court, addressing Duryodhana. He argues that because Draupadī has multiple husbands she should be treated as a courtesan, and he endorses bringing her into the assembly even in a state of undress—intensifying the outrage that defines the scene.