Shloka 12
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
उत्थाप्य सम्परिष्वज्य प्रीत्याजिप्रत मूर्थनि । वैशम्पायनजी कहते हैं--राजन! शकुनिका यह वचन सुनकर दुर्योधनने अपने चरणोंमें पड़े हुए म्लान मुखवाले भ्रातृभक्त शत्रुदमन वीर दुःशासनकी ओर देखकर अपनी सुन्दर बाँहोंद्वारा उसे उठाया और प्रेमपूर्वक हृदयसे लगाकर उसका मस्तक सूँघा ।। १०-११ ई | कर्णसौबलयोश्वापि संश्रुत्य वचनान्यसौ,कर्ण और शकुनिकी भी बातें सुनकर राजा दुर्योधन अत्यन्त उदास हो गया, तथा मन- ही-मन लज्जासे अभिभूत हो उसने बड़ी निराशाका अनुभव किया
utthāpya sampariṣvajya prītyā ca pratamūrdhani | vaiśampāyana uvāca—rājan! śakuneḥ vacanaṃ śrutvā duryodhanaḥ caraṇeṣu patitaṃ mlānamukhavantaṃ bhrātṛbhaktaṃ śatrudamanaṃ vīraṃ duḥśāsanaṃ vilokya svābhyāṃ sundarābhyāṃ bāhubhyām utthāpya hṛdayena sampariṣvajya tasya mūrdhānaṃ ghrātvā | karṇa-sauabalayoḥ api vacanāni saṃśrutya sa rājā duryodhanaḥ atyantaṃ udāsaḥ abhavat, manasā lajjayā abhibhūtaḥ san mahān nirāśāṃ anubabhūva |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O King! Hearing Śakuni’s words, Duryodhana looked at the heroic Duḥśāsana—devoted to his brother, a subduer of foes—who lay at his feet with a downcast face. With his handsome arms he raised him up, embraced him with affection from the heart, and smelled his head in a gesture of intimate brotherly love. Yet, after also hearing the words of Karṇa and Śakuni, King Duryodhana became deeply dejected; inwardly overwhelmed by shame, he felt a profound despair.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage contrasts outward displays of affection and loyalty with inner moral turmoil: even amid strong fraternal bonds, wrong counsel and awareness of one’s own fault can produce shame and despair. It highlights how unethical strategy and manipulative advice corrode a leader’s inner steadiness.
After hearing Śakuni, Duryodhana sees Duḥśāsana prostrated at his feet, lifts him up, embraces him, and affectionately smells his head. But when he also hears the words of Karṇa and Śakuni, Duryodhana becomes deeply dejected, inwardly ashamed, and feels hopeless.