Shloka 22
Kīcaka-vadha-pratisaṃjñā: Rumor in Matsya and the Kaurava Scouts’ Report (कीचकवध-प्रतिसंज्ञा)
न हि दुःखं समाप्रोषि सैरन्ध्री यदुपाश्रुते । तेन मां दुःखितामेवं पृच्छसे प्रहसन्निव
na hi duḥkhaṃ samāproṣi sairandhrī yad upāśrute | tena māṃ duḥkhitām evaṃ pṛcchase prahasan niva ||
Vaiśampāyana disse: “Ó Sairandhrī, tu não partilhas de fato o sofrimento que me sobreveio; nem podes removê-lo. Por isso me perguntas assim, como se apenas quisesses zombar—rindo de quem já está aflito.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical sensitivity: questioning a sufferer without empathy can become cruelty. True concern either shares the burden or seeks to relieve it; otherwise, inquiry may feel like ridicule.
In the Virāṭa court setting, Sairandhrī (Draupadī in disguise) speaks with a woman who is distressed. The speaker responds sharply, saying Sairandhrī neither experiences nor can remove her pain, so her questioning seems like mockery.