Shloka 12
Śānti-parva Adhyāya 44 — Post-War Reassignment of Residences and Restorative Consolation (शान्तिपर्व अध्याय ४४)
दुर्मुखस्य च वेश्माग्र्यं श्रीमत् कनकभूषणम् । पूर्णपडझमदलाक्षीणां स्त्रीणां शयनसंकुलम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | durmukhasya ca veśmāgryaṃ śrīmat kanakabhūṣaṇam | pūrṇa-padma-dalākṣīṇāṃ strīṇāṃ śayana-saṅkulam |
Vaiśampāyana said: “And the foremost mansion belonging to Durmukha—splendid and adorned with gold—was crowded with the couches of beautiful women whose eyes were like fully opened lotus-petals.” (In the surrounding narrative, Yudhiṣṭhira assigns such residences to his brothers, reflecting royal order, generosity, and a king’s duty to distribute wealth and comfort without partiality.)
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights royal prosperity and the orderly allocation of luxury within a kingdom; in the broader context it supports the ethic of responsible kingship—wealth and comforts are to be managed and distributed in a structured, duty-bound manner rather than through whim.
Vaiśampāyana describes an exceptionally splendid mansion associated with Durmukha, richly decorated with gold and filled with the sleeping arrangements of beautiful women; it forms part of a larger description of palatial residences being assigned and enjoyed within the royal setting.