Shloka 11
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
पादयो: पतितं वीरं विकृतं भ्रातृसौहदम् । बाहुभ्यां साधुजाताभ्यां दुःशासनमरिंदमम्
pādayoḥ patitaṃ vīraṃ vikṛtaṃ bhrātṛ-sauhṛdam | bāhubhyāṃ sādhujātābhyāṃ duḥśāsanam ariṃdamam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: With his brotherly affection now distorted, the hero fell at his feet and, with his well-born arms, seized Duḥśāsana—the subduer of foes. The scene underscores how kinship, when corrupted by envy and wrongdoing, turns into a force that drives humiliation and violence rather than protection and restraint.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical inversion: when fraternal goodwill (bhrātṛ-sauhṛda) becomes corrupted, it no longer restrains aggression but fuels degrading acts. It implicitly warns that dharma in relationships depends on inner integrity; without it, even noble strength becomes an instrument of adharma.
The narrator describes a warrior falling at another’s feet and then physically taking hold of Duḥśāsana with his arms. The emphasis on 'corrupted brotherly affection' frames the action as arising from a twisted kinship dynamic rather than righteous protection.