Shloka 32
Draupadī’s Grief at Seeing the Heroes in Disguise (द्रौपदी-विषादः / वेष-परिभव-वर्णनम्)
उपास्ते सम सभायां यं कृत्स्ना वीर वसुन्धरा । तमुपासीनमप्यन्यं पश्य भारत भारतम्
upāste sama sabhāyāṃ yaṃ kṛtsnā vīra vasundharā | tam upāsīnam apy anyaṃ paśya bhārata bhāratam vīra |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O hero, O Bhārata! Behold that very Bhārata—him whom the whole earth once revered alike in royal assemblies—now seated in another king’s court as one who must pay homage.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Worldly status is unstable: one who was once universally honored may later be compelled to sit in attendance in another’s court. The ethical emphasis is on maintaining inner dignity and adherence to dharma despite external reversals.
The narrator points out a striking contrast: a Bharata hero formerly revered by the whole world in royal assemblies is now seen seated in another king’s court as an attendant, highlighting the protagonists’ reduced circumstances during a period of concealment/exile.