Shloka 28
जयद्रथविमोचन–पलायनवृत्तान्तः
Recovery of Draupadī and Jayadratha’s flight
स भवान् धृतराष्ट्र तं गान्धारीं च यशस्विनीम् । पश्य कर्ण महेष्वास अदितिं वज्रभूद् यथा,“महाधनुर्धर कर्ण! अब तुम मेरे पूज्य पिता धृतराष्ट्र तथा यशस्विनी माता गान्धारीका उसी प्रकार दर्शन करो, जैसे वज्रधारी इन्द्र माता अदितिका दर्शन करते हैं!
sa bhavān dhṛtarāṣṭra taṃ gāndhārīṃ ca yaśasvinīm | paśya karṇa maheṣvāsa aditiṃ vajrabhūd yathā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “O mighty-armed Karṇa, behold now my revered father Dhṛtarāṣṭra and the illustrious mother Gāndhārī—just as Indra, bearer of the thunderbolt, pays reverent audience to his mother Aditi.” The line frames respectful darśana of elders as a model of dharma, urging Karṇa to honor parental authority and maternal dignity even amid political and martial tensions.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse upholds dharma through reverence: even a celebrated warrior should honor elders and parents of the royal house, taking Indra’s respectful approach to Aditi as an ethical exemplar.
The speaker directs Karṇa to go and behold (pay respects to) Dhṛtarāṣṭra and Gāndhārī, using a divine analogy—Indra visiting Aditi—to emphasize proper conduct and deference.