Shloka 11
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 188 — Draupadī-Vivāha Dharma-Vicāra
Debate on the Legitimacy of One Wife for Five
अवमानभयाच्चैव स्वधर्मस्य च रक्षणात् | स्वयंवराणामन्येषां मा भूदेवंविधा गति:,“ट्रपदको तो हम इसलिये दण्ड देना चाहते हैं कि (हमारा) अपमान न हो, हमारे धर्मकी रक्षा हो और दूसरे स्वयंवरोंकी भी ऐसी दुर्गति न हो”
ava-māna-bhayāc caiva sva-dharmasya ca rakṣaṇāt | svayaṃvarāṇām anyeṣāṃ mā bhūd evaṃ-vidhā gatiḥ ||
“ด้วยความหวาดกลัวต่อความอัปยศ และเพื่อพิทักษ์ธรรมของตน เราจึงประสงค์จะลงทัณฑ์—เพื่อมิให้พิธีสยัมวรอื่น ๆ ต้องประสบชะตาอันน่าอับอายเช่นนี้”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames punishment as a dharmic instrument: it is justified not merely as retaliation, but as protection of social-moral order (svadharma) and as deterrence, so that public institutions like svayaṃvara are not undermined by dishonour.
Vaiśampāyana reports a stance taken by the concerned party: they argue for punishing the offender(s) because the incident has brought humiliation, threatens their dharma, and could set a damaging precedent for future svayaṃvaras if left unaddressed.