Shloka 366
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
न तथा पाण्डुपुत्राणां स्नेहवन्तो विशाम्पते । राजन! भीष्म, द्रोण और कृपाचार्य आदिके मनपर भी दानवोंने अधिकार कर लिया था। अतः पाण्डवोंके प्रति उनका भी वैसा स्नेह नहीं रह गया
na tathā pāṇḍuputrāṇāṁ snehavanto viśāmpate | rājan! bhīṣma-droṇa-kṛpācārya-ādikē manasi api dānavāḥ adhikāraṁ cakruḥ | ataḥ pāṇḍaveṣu prati teṣām api naiva tathā snehaḥ avaśiṣṭaḥ |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O lord of the people, it was not the same affection toward the sons of Pāṇḍu. O King, even the minds of Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Kṛpa and the other elders had been brought under the sway of demonic influences; therefore, even their former tenderness toward the Pāṇḍavas did not remain as it once was.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even venerable elders can lose clarity and compassion when their minds fall under corrupting influences; dharma requires vigilance so that loyalty, fear, or manipulation does not eclipse justice and rightful affection.
Vaiśampāyana explains to the king that the usual goodwill toward the Pāṇḍavas was no longer present, because even respected figures like Bhīṣma, Droṇa, and Kṛpa had come under a harmful, ‘demonic’ sway, weakening their support for the Pāṇḍavas.