Shloka 7
Kuntī’s Consolation to Draupadī and Lament for the Dispossessed Pandavas (सभा पर्व, अध्याय 70)
वैशम्पायन उवाच ततः सभ्या: कुरुराजस्य तस्य वाक्यं सर्वे प्रशशंसुस्तथोच्चै: । चेलावेधांश्वापि चक्रुर्नदन्तो हाहेत्यासीदपि चैवार्तनाद:
vaiśampāyana uvāca tataḥ sabhyāḥ kururājasya tasya vākyaṃ sarve praśaśaṃsus tathoccaiḥ | celāvedhāṃś cāpi cakrur nadanto hāhety āsīd api caivārtanādaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors tous les courtisans applaudirent à haute voix les paroles de ce roi des Kuru (Duryodhana). Dans l’exaltation, ils crièrent et agitèrent leurs vêtements ; mais, au même instant, s’élevèrent aussi des cris de « hā hā ! » et une plainte de détresse—signe que l’assemblée se trouvait partagée entre le triomphe des partisans et l’angoisse de la conscience.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how an assembly can become ethically divided: loud public approval may coexist with genuine distress. It warns that social endorsement is not proof of righteousness; collective noise can mask adharma, while the cries of the afflicted reveal the moral cost.
After Duryodhana’s statement in the royal hall, many courtiers cheer loudly, shout, and wave their garments in celebration. Simultaneously, others react with ‘hā hā’ cries and lamentation, indicating shock, grief, or protest within the same सभा.