Shloka 14
Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 1 — The Pandavas’ Exit from Gajasāhvaya and the Citizens’ Lament (जनमेजयप्रश्नः; पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानम्)
यत्र दुर्योधन: पाप: सौबलेनाभिपालित: । कर्णदु:शासनाभ्यां च राज्यमेतच्चिकीर्षति,पुरवासी बोले--अहो! हमारा यह समस्त कुल, हम तथा हमारे घर-द्वार अब सुरक्षित नहीं हैं; क्योंकि यहाँ पापात्मा दुर्योधन सुबलपुत्र शकुनिसे पालित हो कर्ण और दुःशासनकी सम्मतिसे इस राज्यका शासन करना चाहता है
yatra duryodhanaḥ pāpaḥ saubalenābhipālitaḥ | karṇa-duḥśāsanābhyāṃ ca rājyam etac cikīrṣati ||
هناك يسعى دُريودَهَنَ الآثم—الذي ربّاه ووجّهه ساوبَلا (شَكوني)، وتسانده قوة كَرْنَة ودُحشاسَنَة—إلى الاستيلاء على حكم هذه المملكة. لذلك ينوح أهل المدينة قائلين إن نسلهم وبيوتهم لم تعد في مأمن.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Unrighteous rule is shown as arising from corrupt influence and violent support: when a would-be king is 'abhipālita' (kept and guided) by deceitful counsel and backed by aggressive allies, society loses its sense of safety. The verse frames political power as an ethical matter—legitimacy depends on dharma, not merely force or faction.
Vaiśampāyana describes the situation in which Duryodhana, under Śakuni’s influence and with Karṇa and Duḥśāsana’s support, aims to control the kingdom. The accompanying narrative sense is that citizens (puravāsinaḥ) react with alarm, fearing for their families and homes because the prospective ruler is characterized as pāpa (wicked).