Text 7
mahān ayaṁ batādharma
eṣāṁ rāja-sabhā-sadām
ye balābalavad yuddhaṁ
rājño ’nvicchanti paśyataḥ
mahān — great; ayam — this; bata — alas; adharmaḥ — act of irreligion; eṣām — on the part of these; rāja-sabhā — in the King’s assembly; sadām — persons present; ye — who; bala-abala-vat — between strong and weak; yuddham — a fight; rājñaḥ — while the King; anvicchanti — they also desire; paśyataḥ — is watching.
[The women said:] Alas, what a greatly irreligious act the members of this royal assembly are committing! As the King watches this fight between the strong and the weak, they also want to see it.
The idea the ladies are expressing is that even if the King somehow wanted to see such an unfair match, why should the respectable members of the assembly also desire to see it? These feelings are natural. Even nowadays, if in a public place we find a violent fight going on between a very strong, large person and a weaker, smaller person, we are aroused to indignation. Compassionate women are especially offended and enraged by such unfair violence.