उद्योगपर्व — अध्याय ८१: कृष्णस्य दूतप्रयाणम्
Udyoga Parva, Chapter 81: Krishna Sets Out as Envoy
जीवत्सु पाण्डुपुत्रेषु प्चालेष्वथ वृष्णिषु | दासीभूतास्मि पापानां सभामध्ये व्यवस्थिता
jīvatsu pāṇḍuputreṣu pāñcāleṣv atha vṛṣṇiṣu | dāsībhūtāsmi pāpānāṃ sabhāmadhye vyavasthitā ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Enquanto os filhos de Pāṇḍu, os Pāñcālas e os Vṛṣṇis ainda estavam vivos, aqueles homens pecaminosos reduziram-me à condição de escrava e fizeram-me ficar de pé no meio da assembleia real.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights the ethical catastrophe that occurs when a society’s guardians of dharma allow injustice in public institutions: even with righteous and powerful protectors alive, wrongdoing can prevail if courage and moral responsibility fail in the assembly.
The speaker recalls being forced into a state of servitude and made to stand in the royal court by sinful opponents, despite the continued existence of the Pāṇḍavas and their allies (the Pāñcālas and Vṛṣṇis), emphasizing the public nature of the insult and the court’s complicity.