Shloka 46
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
भूमेर्विवरमन्वैच्छ प्रवेष्टं व्रीडयान्वित: । जिस समय गन्धर्व उपर्युक्त बात कह रहा था, उस समय मैं (अत्यन्त) लज्जित हो गया। मेरी इच्छा हुई कि धरती फटे और मैं उसमें समा जाऊँ
bhūmervivaram anvaiṣṭha praveṣṭuṁ vrīḍayānvitaḥ |
Duryodhana said: “Overcome with shame, I longed for a fissure in the earth so that I might enter it and disappear.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked pride can collapse into intense shame when exposed. Ethically, it contrasts external honor (reputation, dominance) with inner steadiness: shame alone does not equal moral reform unless it leads to self-knowledge and restraint.
Duryodhana recounts that, while a Gandharva was speaking (rebuking or asserting superiority in the episode), he felt overwhelming embarrassment and wished the earth would split open so he could vanish—signaling a moment of public disgrace and psychological defeat.