Shloka 403
Aśvatthāman’s Arrow-Screen and the Confrontation with Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रौणि–युधिष्ठिर-संग्रामः)
घस्मरा नष्टशौचाश्ष प्राय इत्यनुशुश्रुम । मद्रदेशकी स्त्रियाँ प्राय: गोरी, लंबे कदवाली, निर्लज्ज, कम्बलसे शरीरको ढकनेवाली, बहुत खानेवाली और अत्यन्त अपवित्र होती हैं, ऐसा हमने सुन रखा है
ghasmarā naṣṭaśaucāś ca prāya ity anuśuśruma | madradeśakī striyaḥ prāyaḥ gorīḥ dīrghakadavatyāḥ nirlajjāḥ kambalena śarīraṃ ācchādayantyaḥ bahvāśinyas tathā atyantaṃ apavitrā bhavantīti—iti vayaṃ śrutavantaḥ |
Karna said: “We have generally heard that the women of the Madra country are, for the most part, gluttonous and devoid of purity—fair-complexioned, tall, shameless, covering their bodies with blankets, eating excessively, and extremely unclean.” In context, this is a harsh, prejudicial slur used as a rhetorical weapon in the heat of conflict, aiming to dishonor an opponent by attacking their regional identity rather than addressing conduct or dharma.
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage illustrates how, in wartime polemics, speakers may resort to hearsay and regional stereotyping to shame an opponent. Ethically, it serves as a negative example: attacking groups by birth or locality (rather than judging individual conduct) is a misuse of speech and a deviation from dharmic restraint.
Karna is speaking and employs a disparaging characterization of the women of Madra, presented as something ‘commonly heard’ (prāya, anuśuśruma). The statement functions as an insult meant to degrade someone associated with Madra by invoking a hostile stereotype.