Shloka 10
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
वैशम्पायन उवाच शकुनेस्तु वच: श्रुत्वा दःशासनमवेक्ष्य च
vaiśampāyana uvāca śakunes tu vacaḥ śrutvā duḥśāsanam avekṣya ca
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Nachdem er Śakunis Worte vernommen und dann den Blick auf Duḥśāsana gerichtet hatte—war dies der Augenblick, da Rat in Entschluss umschlägt: manipulative List sucht ein Werkzeug, das zum Handeln bereit ist, und kündigt Taten an, die sittlich schwer beladen sind, getrieben von Fraktionsloyalität statt von Dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unethical outcomes often begin with speech—counsel that appeals to ambition or resentment—and then move to action by selecting a willing agent. It implicitly warns that listening and assenting to manipulative advice is an early step away from dharma.
The narrator notes a sequence: someone hears Śakuni’s words and then looks toward Duḥśāsana, indicating that Śakuni’s counsel is being taken seriously and that Duḥśāsana is being drawn in as the likely executor of what is being proposed.