Shloka 8
Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 188 — Draupadī-Vivāha Dharma-Vicāra
Debate on the Legitimacy of One Wife for Five
अथवा यदि कन्येयं न च कज्चिद् बुभूषति । अग्नावेनां परिक्षिप्य याम राष्ट्राणि पार्थिवा:,“अथवा राजाओ! यदि यह कन्या हमलोगोंमेंसे किसीको अपना पति बनाना न चाहे तो हम इसे जलती हुई आगमें झोंककर अपने-अपने राज्यको चल दें
atha vā yadi kanyeyaṃ na ca kaścid bubhūṣati | agnāv enāṃ parikṣipya yāma rāṣṭrāṇi pārthivāḥ ||
หรือมิฉะนั้น โอ้เหล่ากษัตริย์ หากธิดานี้ไม่ปรารถนาจะเลือกผู้ใดในหมู่เราเป็นสวามี ก็จงโยนเธอลงสู่กองเพลิง แล้วพวกเราจงกลับไปยังแว่นแคว้นของตน ๆ
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical fault-line: when desire or wounded pride meets refusal, rulers may lapse into coercion and cruelty. In dharma terms, it implicitly warns that power without restraint becomes adharma—especially when directed against someone socially vulnerable, such as a maiden whose consent is being denied.
A group of kings, confronted with a maiden who may not accept any of them as husband, voice an extreme proposal: to throw her into fire and then return to their respective kingdoms. The line is framed as Vaiśampāyana’s narration, reporting the kings’ harsh resolve rather than endorsing it.