[2-65] Duryodhan said- "Come, O Kshattaa, Bring Draupadee here, the dear wife of Paandav. Let her work like a maid in my palace and stay with our other maids." Vidur said - "O wretched, Do you know what you are saying? Do you know that you are hanging from a cliff? You are waking up tigers. Do not provoke them like this otherwise you will go to Yam Lok. As I think Krishnaa cannot be made slave, in as much as she was put on stake by the King after he had lost himself and was no more even his own master. No man should utter harsh words, no man should defeat his enemies in dice game. A goat once swallowed a hook, the hunter placed the animal's head on the ground, tore out its throat and took the hook out. So Hey Duryodhan, Do not swallow the wealth of Paandav, do not make them enemies. This Duryodhan is so foolish that he wouldn't listen to my words, rather his temptation is on increase. Certainly destruction of Kuru is near."

[2-66] Vaishampaayan Jee said - "Duryodhan, filled with pride, said - "Fie on Kshattaa." and looking at the door guard said - "Go Pratikaamee, and bring Draupadee here. You need not to fear from Paandav. It is only Vidur alone who fears from Paandav." Pratikaamee immediately left the hall and entered Paandav's palace. He approached Draupadee and said to her - "Yudhishthir being mad for gambling, Duryodhan has won you, so come to the palace of Dhritraashtra. I will take you and assign you some menial work. Draupadee said - "Why do you say so, O Pratikaamee? Which prince can stake his wife in gambling? The King certainly must have gone mad in playing dice game, otherwise didn't he have any other thing to stake?" The Pratikaamee said - "When he had nothing, then he put you on stake. The King first put his brothers on stake, then himself, and they put you on stake." Draupadee asked him - "Go and ask the gamblers there, whom he lost first himself, him or me? First you let me know this and then come to take me."

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "The Pratikaamee came back to assembly hall and repeated Draupadees words. Then he addressed Yudhishthir and said - "Draupadee has asked you that whose Lord were you when you put me on stake? Did you lose yourself first or me?" Hearing this Yudhishthir sat quiet and did not reply good or bad, whatever. Duryodhan said - "Let the Princess of Paanchaal herself come here and put up her question. Let everybody hear what went between her and Yudhishthir."

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "The Pratikaamee again went to Draupadee's palace and said to her - "The people sitting in assembly hall are summoning you. It seems that the end of Kaurav is near. When Duryodhan is calling you in the assembly, this weak-brained king will not be able to save his wealth." Draupadee said - "It seems He has ordained like this. It has been said that morality is the highest object in the world. If it is observed, it ill bless us, I wish that Kaurav should observe it. O Pratikaamee, Go back to assembly and repeat my words with morality. I will do whatever all the elder people with morals will tell me to do."

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "The Pratikaamee again came back to assembly and repeated the words of Draupadee, but all sat lowering their heads but did not say a word. But Yudhidhthir guessing the intentions of Duryodhan sent a secret messenger to Draupadee that "although she was wearing only one piece of cloth, exposing even her navel, in consequence to he season, she should come here before her father-in-law weeping bitterly". That messenger went immediately and delivered Yudhishthir's message. Meanwhile Paandav, distressed, could not decide what to do. Duryodhan saw their restlessness and he asked Pratikaamee to bring Draupadee in the assembly immediately, saying that Kaurav would answer her question in the assembly. Pratikaamee was scared of Draupadee's wrath, so trembling he asked - "What should I say to Krishnaa?"

Duryodhan seeing this said to Dushaasan - "O Dushaasan, This Pratikaamee is afraid of Bheem, so you go there and bring the daughter of Yagyasen forcibly. Our enemies are now our dependent, so they cannot harm us." Dushaasan rose from his seat, arrived in Draupadee's palace and said to her - "Come O Krishnaa, We have won you, so accept the Kuru as your lords. we have won you in a justified way, come to the assembly hall." Draupadee rose, and in sorrow she ran to the place where Dhritraashtra's women were. At this Dushaasan also ran behind her and caught her by her long black hair. He dragged her towards assembly hall holding her by her hair. She was helpless and was trembling. She said in a low voice - "O wretched, I am wearing only one cloth, it is not good for you to take me to the assembly." But Dushaasan did not listen to her and took her to the assembly room." and started praying Krishn and Vishnu (Nar and Naaraayan on Prithvi). Dushaasan said - "Whether your season has come or not, or you are wearing only one cloth or completely naked, but we have won you, so you have to live amongst our maids."

Draupadee's Disrobing

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "While Dushaasan was dragging her, her hair got disordered, her clothes got loose. Draupadee again said faintly- "Many men are like Indra in this assembly, I cannot go before them in this condition. Do not drag me, do not disrobe me. My lords will never pardon you for your this act, whether you have all Devtaa on your side including Indra. Yudhishthir is bound by the obligation of morality. Morality, however, is very subtle, only those people can ascertain it whose vision is very clean. I cannot accept even in speech, that my Lord might have forgotten his virtues. In the condition you are dragging me in the court, it is certainly an unworthy act, but nobody is saying anything to you - it means all are of the same mind as you are. It seems that virtue has gone from the Bhaarat Vansh, otherwise Kuru could not have seen this like this. What has happened to Bheeshm, Drone and Kshattaa? Why are they silent on this? Where is their power?"

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "Draupadee thus cried in the assembly. She looked a her husbands Paandav have never been so distressed, not even when they had lost their everything, as they were now at the glance of Draupadee. Dushaasan shouted "slave, slave" for her. Karn got very happy to hear this and he also laughed at her. Shakuni also laughed.

Bheeshm said - "O Putree, Morality is vey subtle. I am unable to reply your question. One who has no wealth cannot stake the wealth of others; on the other hand wives are under the orders of their husbands. Yudhishthir can abandon the whole world full of wealth, but he can never sacrifice morality. Yudhishthir had said - "I am won", that is why I am unable to decide this matter. Shakuni is not Yudhishthir's type of man, still he played with him. Yudhishthir himself does not say that Shakuni has cheated him in the game, so I cannot decide."

Draupadee said - "The King was summoned to this assembly hall irrespective of that he was not skilled in dice game, he was forced to play the game with wicked and skilful people. How can he be said to have voluntarily played with them? He was deprived of senses by cheating and then he was defeated. He could not understand their tricks then, but now he has done so. Many elders are sitting here in this assembly, let them think over my words and then decide what I have said."

VaishampaayanJee said - "Thus Krishnaa was weeping and crying and was looking at her helpless husbands. Dushaasan said many harsh words to her and dragged her. In this process her upper garment got loosened. Seeing her in this condition, Vrikodar could not stay silent, he looked at Yudhishthir and said angrily.

[2-67] Bheem said -  "Gamblers have many bad character women in their palace, but they do not stake even them. Whatever we have earned, all has been won by our enemies. I do not consider proper that I should be angry with you because you are our elder, but I do not like staking Draupadee. This innocent girl does not deserve this behavior. She has Paandav as her husband, but it is because of you that she is suffering like this. I am angry with you because of her, I will burn your hands. O Sahadev, bring me some fire." Arjun said - "What has happened to you, O Bheem. Surely these wicked people has destroyed you morality, otherwise you would not have uttered such words. You should not let our enemy fulfill his aim. How can you behave like this with your eldest brother. Remember? He was invited by the enemy, and keeping in mind the duties of a Kshatriya he played against his will." Bheem said - "I know it, Arjun, that is why I did not do so; otherwise I have burnt his hands even before."

Vaishampaayan Jee said - "Seeing Paandav in distress, Paanchaalee also got very sorry. At that time Vikarn said - "O kings, Answer the question of Yagyasenee. If we have not decided this matter in a justified manner, we all are going to Hell. Why Bheeshm, Dhritraashtra and Vidur who are the oldest of Kuru family are silent on this issue? Bharadwaaj's son Kripaa is also here. O gathered kings, tell us which side you are?" In spite of asking this question by Vikarn nobody answered anything - good or bad.  Then he said - "If you are not saying anything, I say it what I think proper. It has been said that hunting, drinking, gambling and too much enjoyment of women are the four vices of kings. This son of Paandu, deeply involved in one of these vices, has put on stake his wife on instigated by these deceitful gamblers. And the King had already lost himself before putting Draupadee on stake, I consider Draupadee as not being won."

Hearing this all kings applauded Vikarn and abused Shakuni. Seeing this Karn lost his senses to anger and said - "O Vikarn, As the fire eats the wood from which it is born, you anger will also consume you. These people are not saying anything because they all regard that Krishnaa has been won. You are angry only because you are immature. You don't know what morality is. How can you say that Draupadee has not been when Yudhishthir has already staked his all possessions on stake. Draupadee is included in his possessions. Or if you think that she was unjustly brought here in one piece of cloth, then I can give you some good reasons for that - the gods have ordained only one husband for one woman, and Draupadee has many husbands, that is why she is not a chaste woman. That is why if she had been brought here even naked, there was no surprise. Yudhishthir has lost all possessions, including his brothers and wife, to Shakuni in a justified manner. O Dushaasan, Vikarn talks with a childish wisdom. Take off the robes of Paandav and Draupadee."

Hearing these words, Paandav took off their robes and threw them on the ground, and Dushaasan started pulling off Draupadee's clothes. When Dushaasan was doing this, Draupadee started remembering Hari - "O Govind, O Dweller of Dwaaarakaa, O Keshav, See these people are insulting me, please, recue me." Hearing the call Krishn moved, and came running there on foot; and while Yagyasenee was calling out Hari, Naaraayan, Krishn, Dhrm came and covered her with the clothes of many colors. As her one cloth was pulled off, another of the same kind one appeared beneath it. And it continued and continued - hundreds and hundreds clothes of many hues continued to appear. An uproar of many voices was heard. They were praising Draupadee at the most wonderful sight of the world.

Bheem squeezed his hands and took a vow "Hear O Kings, today I say this, which has never been said before nor it will be said in future by anybody, and if I do not fulfill this vow let me not go to ancestors. Tearing open in battle the breast of this wretched, if I do not drink his life blood I should not go to the regions of my ancestors." [First Vow: Bheem took the vow to drink Dushaasan's heart's blood]

Vaishampaaya Jee continued - "Everybody applauded Bheems's vow and abused Dushaasan. Pulling off the cloth from the body of Draupadee Dushaasan got tired and so ashamed he sat down. All Paandav and kings present there just uttered "Fie". Vidur silenced all and said - "O kings, Draupadee put up a question and is weeping helplessly but nobody is answering her. If any afflicted person comes to an assembly of moral people and does not get any answer [it is not good]. Vikarn gave some answer according to his level, but if somebody, in spite of knowing the answer, does not answer, it is also equal to lie. Otherwise also if he answers wrongly that is also equal to lie. Learned people quote the story of Prahlaad and the son of Angiraa.

There was a Daitya King named Prahlaad. He had a son named Virochan. Once Virochan quarreled with the son of Angiraa, Sudhanvaa, for a bride. They both said - "I am superior, I am superior". After quarreling for some time they decided they should go to Prahlaad to decide their case. So they went to Prahlaad and presented their case and asked him to tell them truth that who was superior between the two. Prahlaad got scared at this quarrel and cast his glance at Sudhanvaa. Seeing his look, Sudhanvaa filled with rage and said - "If you speak either false, or do not answer at all, your head will be split into hundred pieces by Indra's Vajra." Hearing this from Sudhanvaa started trembling like leaf of a fig tree. He thought for a while and went to Kashyap Jee for consultation. Prahlaad Jee said to him - "You know everything, please guide us all - the Devtaa, Asur and Braahman. I am in a great difficulty regarding my duty, please help me. I wish to ask you if somebody does not answer or answer a question falsely on asking, which regions does he go to."

Kashyap Jee said - "He who knows, and does not answer, because of temptation, or anger, or fear becomes the prey of thousand nooses of Varun. And the person who cited as the witness, with regard to some knowledge, speaks carelessly, becomes the cause of thousand nooses of Varun for his own people. Only one noose is loosened after a full one year. Therefore that he knows should always speak without hiding anything. In any assembly, if a person is worth rebuked is not rebuked, its half the sin goes to the assembly head, its one-forth sin goes to the person who is to be rebuked, and the remaining one-fourth sin goes to those people who are present there. On the other hand, in an assembly if the person who is to be rebuked, is rebuked, the head of the assembly gets free from all sins and the other members also are not attached to it. It is only the person who is to be rebuked is fully responsible for it. O Prahlaad, If somebody asks the knower of the morality a question about morality, and if he answers incorrectly, he destroys the Punya (merits) of his seven generation up and seven generation down.

The grief of the following people are of the same degree - (1) a person who has lost all his wealth, (2) a woman who has lost her son, (3) one who is in debt, (4) one who is separated from his companions, (5) a woman who has lost her husband, (6) one who has lost everything because of the King, (7) a woman who cannot bear children, (8) who has been devoured by tiger, (9) one who is a co-wife, and (10) the one who has lost his all property because of false witness. These grieves are those for who tell lie. [when a person becomes a witness?] A person becomes a witness if he seas, listens or understand something., therefore a witness should always speak truth."

Hearing this Prahlaad told his son - "My son, Sudhanvaa is superior to you, as his father Angiraa is superior to me. Even his mother is also superior to your mother, so O Virochan, now Sudhanvaa is the Lord of your life." Hearing this Sudhanvaa said - "Since you have spoken the truth without caring for your son's life, I bless him with 100 years." Thus Vidur continued - "Therefore who are sitting here should answer the question of Draupadee truthfully." Vaishampaayan Jee said - "Even after hearing Vidur, all people sat there silently, did not speak a word, but Karn said to Dushaasan - "Take this maid to inner apartments." and Dushaasan started dragging her to the inner apartments.