Shloka 24
पुनर्द्यूत-समाह्वानम्
Renewed Summons to the Dice-Game and Exile Wager
ततः: सूतस्तस्य वशानुगामी भीतश्च कोपाद् द्रपदात्मजाया: । विहाय मान पुनरेव सभ्या- नुवाच कृष्णां किमहं ब्रवीमि
tataḥ sūtas tasya vaśānugāmī bhītaś ca kopād drapadātmajāyāḥ | vihāya mānaṃ punar eva sabhyān uvāca kṛṣṇāṃ kim ahaṃ bravīmi ||
ویشَمپاین نے کہا— تب وہ سوت، جو اپنے آقا کے قابو میں تھا، دروپدی کے غضب سے ڈر کر اپنا غرور چھوڑ بیٹھا اور پھر اہلِ دربار سے مخاطب ہوا، اور کرشنا (دروپدی) سے کہا— “میں کیا کہوں؟”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how coercion and fear can force a person to act against dignity, yet it also exposes the ethical tension of being an instrument of another’s will in an unjust situation—especially in a public assembly where words carry moral weight.
A sūta, acting under his master’s command, becomes afraid of Draupadī’s anger. He drops his pride and turns back to address the court again, speaking to Draupadī and expressing uncertainty: “What am I to say?”