Shloka 34
Draupadī’s Exhortation on Rājadharma and Daṇḍa (द्रौपद्याः राजधर्मोपदेशः)
कुरुते मूढ एवं हि य: श्रेयो नाधिगच्छति । धूपैरठ्जनयोगैश्व नस्यकर्मभिरेव च
kurute mūḍha evaṁ hi yaḥ śreyo nādhigacchati | dhūpair añjanayogaiś ca nasyakarmabhir eva ca ||
L’homme égaré agit ainsi et, pour cette raison, n’atteint pas ce qui est véritablement salutaire. Il s’affaire à des fumigations, à des applications de collyre et à des soins nasaux—remèdes extérieurs—sans parvenir au bien supérieur qu’il faudrait rechercher.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A deluded person mistakes external or merely remedial acts for the pursuit of the highest good (śreyaḥ). Without right understanding and proper aim, such actions do not lead to true welfare.
Vaiśampāyana continues a didactic passage in the Śānti Parva, characterizing the misguided seeker: instead of pursuing the higher good, he relies on outward treatments (fumigation, collyrium, nasal procedures) and thus fails to attain śreyaḥ.