Shloka 16
भीष्मद्रोणयोर्दुर्योधनं प्रति शमोपदेशः | Bhīṣma and Droṇa’s Counsel of Conciliation to Duryodhana
यच्च व: प्रेक्षमाणानां सर्वधर्मोपचायिनाम् । पाज्चाली परुषाप्युक्ता को नु तत् क्षन्तुमहति
yacca vaḥ prekṣamāṇānāṃ sarvadharmopacāyinām | pāñcālī paruṣāpyuktā ko nu tat kṣantum arhati ||
اور پھر، تم—جو ہر طرح کے دھرم کی افزائش کرنے والے ہو—تمہارے دیکھتے دیکھتے پانچالی کو سخت اور تلخ باتیں کہی گئیں؛ بھلا اسے کون سا بہادر معاف کر سکتا ہے؟
पुत्र उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames Draupadī’s public insult as a moral outrage witnessed by dharma-upholding heroes, implying that tolerating or forgiving such adharma would itself be ethically untenable; it highlights the tension between forbearance and the duty to uphold justice and honor.
A son (putra) addresses the Pāṇḍavas, recalling that while they were present, Draupadī (Pāñcālī) was subjected to harsh speech; he uses this remembered humiliation to argue that such an offense cannot simply be forgiven, strengthening the case for decisive action.