Shloka 12
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
कर्णप्रभृतयश्वैव सुह्ृदो बान्धवाश्न ये | दुःशासन पुरस्कृत्य प्रयान्त्वद्य पुरं प्रति
karṇaprabhṛtayaś caiva suhṛdo bāndhavāś ca ye | duḥśāsana-puraskṛtya prayāntv adya puraṃ prati ||
Duryodhana said: “Let Karṇa and the rest—those who are my well-wishers and kinsmen—set out today for the city, placing Duḥśāsana at the forefront.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political and familial bonds can drive collective action: Duryodhana prioritizes cohesion and command structure (placing Duḥśāsana in front) and relies on allies and kin. Ethically, it points to the power—and potential danger—of factional loyalty when it becomes the primary compass for decision-making.
Duryodhana issues an instruction that Karṇa and the other allies and relatives should depart that very day toward the city, with Duḥśāsana taking the lead. It reads as a directive to regroup or return in an orderly manner under a designated frontman.