Madhuvidya

Author(s): S D Laddu, T N Dharmadhikari, Madhvi Kolhatkar, Pratibha Pingle
Publisher: L D Indology Ahmedabad

Page 458

DRAUPADI'S QUESTION
191
Hence the renderings in the above English translations of janidhvam as if it was vibrūta, are wrong. Arjuna wants the Kauravas to realize (jaäidhvam) that Yudhisthira, in the circumstances, could not be the master of any one ; Arjuna is most certainly not asking them to decide the unsettled issue.
Some Maratbi translations of the above passage are as follow: The translation of the Chiplunkar Mandali may be rendered into English as: “Arjuna said: "Kauravas, it is clear that this Dharmrāja, son of Kunti, was within his rights to stake us before he lost himself. But once he lost himself, whose master could he be ? You too all know this. Hence it is needless for me to say that Draupadi has not been won."
This is not the translation of the stanza, but its paraphrase. However it is not wrong like the English translations. It states correetly what Arjuna wants to convey: "Draupadi has not been won."
The other Marathi translation in the one from the Mahabharata edited by Shri C. V. Vaidya? It runs as follows: “ First, when he staked, the nobleminded Dharmarāja, the son of Kunti, was our master. When he himself was won (in the game of dice), whose master was he? Ye all Kauravas: You realize this.3"
In my opinion this translation is correct. But the translator has failed to recognize its importance and derive the necessary conclusion. In his concluding remarks ( samalocana ) at the end of the volume (p. 25 ) Shri Vaidya observes : "After Yudhisthira staked himself and lost, he became the slave of the Kauravas, Then, at the suggestion of Sakuni he staked Draupadi. Sakuni won the game and hence Draupadi became the slave of Duryodhana". This means that in the opinion of Shri Vaidya whether Draupadi had become the slave or not is not in dispute at all. Although she made an issue of it, Draupadi was, in Shri Vaidya's opinion, a slave. In that case Duryodhana's open invitation to the Pāndavas to answer Draupadi's question and Arjuna's reply become moaningless. There is an entry on' Arjuna ' in the index supplied by Shri Vaidya at the end
| अर्जुन म्हणाला : --हे कौरवहो, हा कुंतीपुत्र धर्मराज, आपण हरण्यापूर्वी आम्हांला पणाला लावावयास समर्थ होता हे उघड आहे, परंतु स्वताचा देहच हरवून बसल्यानंतर मग तो कोणाचा मालक असणार? हे सारे तुम्हांलाहि माहित आहेच. तेव्हा द्रौपदी जिंकली गेली नाही, हे मी आणखी तें काय HTTTT? ( g. Yin)
2 Published by Damodar Savalaram and Co., Part 3 ( 1933).
3 अर्जुन म्हणाला:-"पूर्वी जेव्हा आम्हाला पणाला लाविले तेव्हा कुंतीपुत्र महात्मा धर्मराज. आमचा स्वामी होता. तो स्वतः ( द्यूतामध्ये ) जिंकला गेल्यावर मग कोणाचा स्वामी ? सर्व कौरवांनो ! e sala ezi.” (p. 356 )
4 "युधिष्ठिराने स्वतांस पणास लावून दास झाल्यावर शकुनीच्या सूचनेवरुन द्रौपदीस पणास लाविले व तोहि पण शकुनीनं जिंकल्याने द्रौपदी दुर्योधनाची दासी झाली."
Madhu Vidyā/433