Shloka 33
Draupadī-apaharaṇa-saṃdeśaḥ
Report of Draupadī’s Abduction and the Pāṇḍavas’ Pursuit
एवमाशा दृढा तस्य धार्त॑राष्ट्रस्थ दुर्मतेः
evam āśā dṛḍhā tasya dhārtarāṣṭrastha durmateḥ
Vaiśampāyana said: Thus firm was the hope of that ill-minded man who had cast his lot with the Dhārtarāṣṭras—his expectation hardened into resolve, despite the moral peril of the path he had chosen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how hope, when fused with wrong allegiance and distorted judgment, becomes stubborn resolve. It cautions that inner intention (mati) and chosen company (saṅga) shape one’s ethical trajectory, often hardening desire into morally dangerous persistence.
The narrator Vaiśampāyana comments on a particular person’s mindset: someone aligned with the Dhārtarāṣṭra faction is described as durmati (ill-judging), and his āśā (hope/expectation) is said to be dṛḍhā (firm). It functions as a narrative aside explaining the firmness of his intention within the ongoing episode.