Shloka 346
द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality
पादौ संस्पृश्य मानाहँं भ्रातुर्ज्येछ्ठस्य भारत । 'भैया! आप ही हमारे कुलमें सौ वर्षोतक राजा बने रहेंगे।। जनमेजय! ऐसा कहकर दुःशासन अपने बड़े भाईके माननीय चरणोंको पकड़कर फूट-फूटकर रोने लगा
pādau saṃspṛśya mānāhaṃ bhrātur jyeṣṭhasya bhārata | “bhaiyā! āp hī hamāre kuleṃ śata-varṣotaka rājā bane raheṅge” || janamejaya! iti uktvā duḥśāsanaḥ sva-bhrātur mahānīya-caraṇau gṛhītvā phūṭ-phūṭkar ruroda ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。「おお、バーラタよ。長兄の足に触れて敬意を表し、私は言った。『兄上よ、あなたこそが我らの一族において、まる百年のあいだ王として在り続けるでしょう。』」おお、ジャナメージャヤよ。そう言い終えると、ドゥフシャーサナは兄の尊い足にすがりつき、堪えきれぬ嗚咽にくずおれた。この場面は、危機のただ中で、敬虔と忠誠の外形が呼び出されうること—真の悔恨であれ、恐れであれ、庇護を求める策であれ—を示し、家族への献身と過去の行いの報いとのあいだにある倫理的緊張を浮かび上がらせる。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral ambiguity of external displays of devotion—touching an elder’s feet and pledging loyalty—especially when performed under pressure. It invites reflection on whether repentance and reverence are meaningful without prior restraint and righteous conduct (dharma) and how actions inevitably return as consequences.
Vaiśampāyana narrates to King Janamejaya that Duḥśāsana approaches his eldest brother (implicitly Duryodhana), touches and clutches his feet, declares that the elder should remain king for a hundred years, and then breaks down crying—an intense moment of supplication and emotional collapse within the Kaurava camp.