Shloka 11
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
पादयो: पतितं वीरं विकृतं भ्रातृसौहदम् । बाहुभ्यां साधुजाताभ्यां दुःशासनमरिंदमम्
pādayoḥ patitaṃ vīraṃ vikṛtaṃ bhrātṛ-sauhṛdam | bāhubhyāṃ sādhujātābhyāṃ duḥśāsanam ariṃdamam ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Da die brüderliche Zuneigung entstellt war, fiel der Held zu seinen Füßen und packte mit seinen wohlgeborenen Armen Duḥśāsana, den Bezwinger der Feinde. Die Szene zeigt, wie Verwandtschaft, wenn sie von Neid und Unrecht verdorben wird, zur Kraft wird, die Demütigung und Gewalt antreibt, statt Schutz und Zügelung zu gewähren.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical inversion: when fraternal goodwill (bhrātṛ-sauhṛda) becomes corrupted, it no longer restrains aggression but fuels degrading acts. It implicitly warns that dharma in relationships depends on inner integrity; without it, even noble strength becomes an instrument of adharma.
The narrator describes a warrior falling at another’s feet and then physically taking hold of Duḥśāsana with his arms. The emphasis on 'corrupted brotherly affection' frames the action as arising from a twisted kinship dynamic rather than righteous protection.