Shloka 14
Adhyaya 11 — Draupadī’s Grief, Demand for Justice, and Bhīma’s Departure
तस्य पापकृतो द्रौणेर्न चेदद्य त्वया रणे । हियते सानुबन्धस्य युधि विक्रम्पय जीवितम्
tasya pāpakṛto drauṇer na ced adya tvayā raṇe | hīyate sānubandhasya yudhi vikrampaya jīvitam ||
“若今日在战阵之中，你不夺去那作恶者德劳尼的性命，那么那怀着罪恶意图而行事之人的生命——连同其一切后果与纠缠——将在争斗中被削弱并走向毁灭。此言迫切提出伦理之命：战争中所犯的重罪必须以决断回应，否则其连锁报应将继续腐蚀生命与秩序。”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Grave wrongdoing in war is portrayed as generating an ongoing chain of harmful consequences (anubandha). The verse urges decisive action against the perpetrator so that the moral and social damage does not continue to spread.
The speaker (Vaiśampāyana) conveys an urgent warning: if Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman), labeled an evil-doer, is not slain in battle that very day, then the life and welfare of those entangled in the aftermath will be diminished amid the continuing conflict.