Shloka 13
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
मेरे सब भाई आज अपनी राजधानीको चले जायाँँ। कर्ण आदि मेरे मित्र तथा बान्धवगण भी दुःशासनको आगे करके आज ही हस्तिनापुरको लौट जायाँ ।। न हाहं सम्प्रयास्यामि पुरं शत्रुनिराकृत: । शत्रुमानापहो भूत्वा सुहददां मानकृत् तथा,शत्रुओंसे अपमानित होकर अब मैं अपने नगरको नहीं जाऊँगा। अबतक मैंने शत्रुओंका मानमर्दन किया है और सुहृदोंको सम्मान दिया है
duryodhana uvāca | mama sarve bhrātaraḥ adya svāṁ rājadhānīṁ gantum arhanti | karṇādayo mama mitrāḥ tathā bāndhavāś ca duḥśāsanam agre kṛtvā adyaiva hastināpuraṁ nivartantām || na hi ahaṁ samprayāsyāmi puraṁ śatru-nirākṛtaḥ | śatru-mānāpaho bhūtvā suhṛdāṁ māna-kṛt tathā ||
Duryodhana said: “Let all my brothers go today to our capital. Let my friends and kinsmen—Karna and the others—return to Hastinapura this very day, placing Duhshasana at the front. But I will not go back to the city as one repulsed by enemies. Having humbled the pride of my foes and having duly honored my well-wishers, I will not now return in disgrace.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how obsession with honor and fear of humiliation can drive political and ethical choices. Duryodhana frames his decision not as prudence but as a matter of reputation—showing the Mahabharata’s recurring critique of pride (māna) when it overrides discernment and dharma.
Duryodhana orders his brothers and allies—especially Karna and others—to return to Hastinapura with Duhshasana leading, while he himself declares he will not go back as someone turned away by enemies. He insists he has already humbled his foes and honored his friends, and therefore refuses to accept a return that would look like defeat.