Shloka 35
अश्वत्थाम-शापः, परिक्षिद्भविष्यत्, मणि-न्यासः
Aśvatthāman’s Curse, Parikṣit’s Future, and the Mani’s Restitution
त॑ गृहीत्वा ततो राजा शिरस्येवाकरोत् तदा । गुरोरुच्छिष्टमित्येव द्रौपद्या वचनादपि
taṁ gṛhītvā tato rājā śirasy evākarot tadā | guror ucchiṣṭam ity eva draupadyā vacanād api ||
Then the king took that jewel and at once placed it upon his own head. Even at Draupadī’s urging, he regarded it as a remnant of the guru’s grace—accepting it not as a trophy of war, but as a sanctified gift to be borne with humility and restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the spoils and bitterness following violence, one should restrain pride and reframe possession through dharma—treating what comes to one not as a cause for vanity, but as a responsibility received with humility and reverence (here expressed as ‘guru’s prasāda/ucchiṣṭa’).
After the events of the Sauptika episode, the king (Yudhiṣṭhira) takes the jewel and, following Draupadī’s words, places it on his head, interpreting it as a sanctified remainder of the guru rather than a mere war-acquired ornament.