Shloka 16
विहीनान् सर्वकामेभ्यो दासभावमुपागतान् | धर्मपाशपरिक्षिप्तानशक्तानिव विक्रमे
sañjaya uvāca | vihīnān sarvakāmebhyo dāsabhāvam upāgatān | dharmapāśaparikṣiptān aśaktān iva vikrame ||
سنجے نے کہا—ہر مطلوب لذت سے محروم ہو کر وہ غلامی کی حالت کو پہنچ چکے تھے؛ دھرم کے پھندے میں جکڑے ہونے کے باعث وہ گویا اپنی دلیری دکھانے سے بھی بےبس نظر آتے تھے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wronged, adherence to dharma can restrain immediate retaliation; moral-legal bonds may render the righteous seemingly powerless, highlighting the tension between justice, restraint, and the impulse to use force.
Sañjaya reports the condition of the Pāṇḍavas after their loss: stripped of wealth and autonomy and treated as slaves, they do not act with their usual heroism because they are constrained by dharma and the obligations arising from the dice-game outcome.