Shloka 346
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
पादौ संस्पृश्य मानाहँं भ्रातुर्ज्येछ्ठस्य भारत । 'भैया! आप ही हमारे कुलमें सौ वर्षोतक राजा बने रहेंगे।। जनमेजय! ऐसा कहकर दुःशासन अपने बड़े भाईके माननीय चरणोंको पकड़कर फूट-फूटकर रोने लगा
pādau saṃspṛśya mānāhaṃ bhrātur jyeṣṭhasya bhārata | “bhaiyā! āp hī hamāre kuleṃ śata-varṣotaka rājā bane raheṅge” || janamejaya! iti uktvā duḥśāsanaḥ sva-bhrātur mahānīya-caraṇau gṛhītvā phūṭ-phūṭkar ruroda ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Bhārata, having touched the feet of his eldest brother, I spoke: ‘Brother, you alone shall remain king in our lineage for a full hundred years.’” O Janamejaya, after saying this, Duḥśāsana clasped the revered feet of his elder brother and burst into uncontrollable weeping. The scene underscores how outward gestures of reverence and loyalty can be invoked at moments of crisis—whether as genuine remorse, fear, or an attempt to secure protection—highlighting the ethical tension between familial devotion and the consequences of one’s prior deeds.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral ambiguity of external displays of devotion—touching an elder’s feet and pledging loyalty—especially when performed under pressure. It invites reflection on whether repentance and reverence are meaningful without prior restraint and righteous conduct (dharma) and how actions inevitably return as consequences.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Duḥśāsana approaches his eldest brother (implicitly Duryodhana), touches and clutches his feet, declares that the elder should remain king for a hundred years, and then breaks down crying—an intense moment of supplication and emotional collapse within the Kaurava camp.