Shloka 10
पाण्डवानां वनप्रस्थानवर्णनम् / The Pāṇḍavas’ Departure for the Forest
Vidura’s Report and Portents
एवमुक्त्वा तु कौन्तेयमपोह् वसनं स्वकम् । स्मयन्नवेक्ष्य पाज्चालीमैश्वर्यमदमोहित:
evaṁ uktvā tu kaunteyam apohya vasanaṁ svakam | smayann avekṣya pāñcālīm aiśvaryamada-mohitaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Having spoken thus to the son of Kuntī, Duryodhana—deluded by the intoxication of power and prosperity—lifted his own garment and, smiling, looked toward Pāñcālī (Draupadī). The act was a deliberate insult, an abuse of royal privilege meant to humiliate and provoke.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how aiśvarya-mada (the intoxication of power) leads to loss of self-restraint and ethical collapse. Public humiliation and sexualized insult are portrayed as grave adharma, sowing consequences that later drive the conflict toward war.
After speaking, the offender—deluded by pride—removes his garment and smiles while looking at Draupadī, signaling a calculated act of disrespect in the royal assembly. It functions as provocation and degradation, intensifying the moral crisis of the court.