Shloka 35
Sabhā Parva, Adhyāya 68 — Pāṇḍavānāṃ Vanavāsa-prasthānaḥ; Duḥśāsana-nindā; Pāṇḍava-pratijñāḥ
एको भर्ता स्त्रिया देवैरविहित: कुरुनन्दन । इयं त्वनेकवशगा बन्धकीति विनिश्चिता,कुरुनन्दन! देवताओंने स्त्रीके लिये एक ही पतिका विधान किया है; परंतु यह द्रौपदी अनेक पतियोंके अधीन है, अतः यह निश्चय ही वेश्या है। इसका सभामें लाया जाना कोई अनोखी बात नहीं है। यह एकवस्त्रा अथवा नंगी हो तो भी यहाँ लायी जा सकती है, यह मेरा स्पष्ट मत है
eko bhartā striyā devair avihitaḥ kurunandana | iyaṁ tv anekavaśagā bandhakīti viniścitā ||
Wika ni Karna: “O ligaya ng mga Kuru, itinakda ng mga diyos na ang babae ay magkaroon lamang ng iisang asawa. Ngunit ang Draupadī na ito ay nasa ilalim ng maraming lalaki; kaya’t dapat siyang ituring nang tiyak bilang isang babaeng aliw (courtesan). Kaya ang pagdadala sa kanya sa kapulungan ay hindi kataka-taka. Maging siya’y may iisang kasuotan o kahit hubad, maaari siyang dalhin dito—iyan ang malinaw kong pasya.”
कर्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates adharma through abusive reasoning: Karna weaponizes a rigid claim about marriage to justify Draupadī’s public humiliation. The ethical lesson is that dharma cannot be upheld by slander, dehumanization, or coercion; public power used to shame the vulnerable is a mark of moral collapse in the assembly.
In the dice-hall episode, after the Pāṇḍavas are defeated and Draupadī is summoned, Karna speaks in the Kaurava court, addressing Duryodhana. He argues that because Draupadī has multiple husbands she should be treated as a courtesan, and he endorses bringing her into the assembly even in a state of undress—intensifying the outrage that defines the scene.