Shloka 21
Bhīmasena’s Counsel on Grief, Inner Conflict, and the Duty of Kingship (भीमसेन-उपदेशः)
पुनरज्ञातचर्यायां कीचकेन पदा वधम् । द्रौपद्या राजपुत्र्याश्न कथं विस्मृतवानसि,“फिर अज्ञातवासके समय कीचकने जो आपके सामने ही राजकुमारी द्रौपदीको लात मारी थी, उस घटनाको आपने सहसा कैसे भुला दिया?
punar ajñātacaryāyāṃ kīcakena padā vadham | draupadyā rājaputryāś ca kathaṃ vismṛtavān asi ||
Vaiśampāyana nói: “Lại nữa, trong thời kỳ sống ẩn danh, sao ngài có thể bỗng chốc quên được nỗi nhục—khi Kīcaka dùng chân đá công chúa Draupadī ngay trước mắt ngài?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral accountability: grave public outrages—especially against a protected woman and a royal lady—must not be minimized or forgotten. Remembering such adharma is part of sustaining dharma, because it grounds rightful indignation, protection, and just response.
Vaiśampāyana recalls a specific incident from the Pāṇḍavas’ incognito exile: Kīcaka assaulted Draupadī by kicking her. He challenges the listener’s apparent forgetfulness, emphasizing the seriousness of the insult and the ethical weight of witnessing such wrongdoing.