Shloka 9
इदं हि वासो यदि वेदृशानां मनस्विनां रौरवमाहवेषु । अदीक्षितानामजिनानि यद्वद् बलीयसां पश्यत पाण्डवानाम्,“इन मनस्वी और बलवान पाण्डवोंका यह मृगचर्ममय वस्त्र तो देखो, जिसे यज्ञमें महात्मालोग धारण करते हैं। मुझे तो इनके शरीरपर ये मृगचर्म यज्ञकी दीक्षाके अधिकारसे रहित जंगली कोलभीलोंके चर्ममय वस्त्रके समान ही प्रतीत होते हैं
idaṃ hi vāso yadi vīdṛśānāṃ manasvināṃ rauravam āhaveṣu | adīkṣitānām ajināni yadvat balīyasāṃ paśyata pāṇḍavānām ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: «Vede esta veste dos poderosos Pāṇḍavas, de ânimo elevado — uma pele áspera usada em meio ao conflito. Tal cobertura pode convir a homens resolutos; mas neles não parece a pele de veado sagrada, ligada aos ritos de consagração (dīkṣā), e sim as peles usadas por quem não recebeu iniciação — imagem feita para envergonhá-los, negando-lhes a dignidade do dharma e o estatuto ritual.»
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how social and ethical standing is rhetorically constructed through symbols: a deerskin can signify sacred discipline when linked to dīkṣā (consecration), but the same object can be weaponized as an insult by denying that sacred context. It warns how dharma-language and ritual markers may be used to confer or strip honor.
In the Sabha Parva’s tense court setting, the Pāṇḍavas are being publicly disparaged. Their hide-garments are pointed out and reinterpreted not as dignified, rite-associated attire but as the crude skins of the uninitiated—an attempt to shame them and undermine their prestige.