मन्यसे वा सभाम् एताम् आनीताम् एकवाससम् ॥
अधर्मेणेति तत्रापि शृणु मे वाक्यम् उत्तरम् ॥
एको भर्ता स्त्रिया देवैर् विहितः कुरुनन्दन ॥
इयं त्व् अनेकवशगा बन्धकीति विनिश्चिता ॥
अस्याः सभाम् आनयनं न चित्रम् इति मे मतिः ॥
एकाम्बरधरत्वं वाप्य् अथ वापि विवस्त्रता ॥
यच् चैषां द्रविणं किं चिद् या चैषा ये च पाण्डवाः ॥
सौबलेनेह तत् सर्वं धर्मेण विजितं वसु ॥
दुःशासन सुबालो ऽयं विकर्णः प्राज्ञवादिकः ॥
पाण्डवानां च वासांसि द्रौपद्याश् चाप्य् उपाहर ॥
manyase vā sabhām etām ānītām ekavāsasam ||
adharmeṇeti tatrāpi śṛṇu me vākyam uttaram ||
eko bhartā striyā devair vihitaḥ kurunandana ||
iyaṃ tv anekavaśagā bandhakīti viniścitā ||
asyāḥ sabhām ānayanaṃ na citram iti me matiḥ ||
ekāmbaradharatvaṃ vāpy atha vāpi vivastratā ||
yac caiṣāṃ draviṇaṃ kiṃ cid yā caiṣā ye ca pāṇḍavāḥ ||
saubaleneha tat sarvaṃ dharmeṇa vijitaṃ vasu ||
duḥśāsana subālo 'yaṃ vikarṇaḥ prājñavādikaḥ ||
pāṇḍavānāṃ ca vāsāṃsi draupadyāś cāpy upāhara ||
[Karna:] "And if you think it unlawful that she was brought into the assembly in a single garment, hear my answer to this as well. One husband is ordained for a wife by the gods, O descendant of Kuru; but this woman is subject to many — clearly she is a harlot. To bring her into the assembly is no wonder, in my view — neither her wearing a single garment, nor even nakedness. And all their wealth, and she herself, and these Pandavas — all of it was won here in accordance with dharma by the son of Subala. O Duhshasana, this Vikarna is young, though he fancies himself speaking wisely; strip the garments from the Pandavas and from Draupadi!"
68b717c83210 · published Jul 16, 2026, 4:12:36 PM UTC
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Here falsehood touches bottom: having slandered the most chaste wife given to the Pandavas by the will of heaven, the persecutor readies an outrage and clothes it in the guise of law. Slander against purity is the gravest sin of speech, and the depth of a fall is reached when shame itself is declared permissible. It is telling that the word is at once followed by a command: falsehood is not content with itself, it hurries toward the deed. The verse teaches that there is a measure of evil beyond which words bring forth the irreparable; and it shows how brazen is the vice that imagines purity can be defiled — yet it is only the defiler who will be defiled. That same command also summons the descent of an unseen protection, which is about to show itself.