Shloka 22
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
पातालवासिनो रौद्रा: पूर्व देवैविनिर्जिता: । ते स्वपक्षक्षयं त॑ तु ज्ञात्वा दुर्योधनस्य वै
vaiśampāyana uvāca | pātālavāsino raudrāḥ pūrvaṃ devair vinirjitāḥ | te svapakṣakṣayaṃ tu jñātvā duryodhanasya vai |
Vaiśaṃpāyana berkata: Makhluk-makhluk garang yang mendiami Pātāla—yang pada zaman dahulu pernah ditewaskan para dewa—memahami bahawa kebinasaan Duryodhana yang kian mendekat bererti kehancuran pihak mereka sendiri juga. Menyedari hal itu, mereka bertekad untuk bertindak agar perjuangan mereka tidak runtuh bersamanya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how attachment to factional victory can drive beings toward strategic intervention, even when their past defeat and moral standing are questionable; it frames political loyalty as a motive that can override ethical restraint.
Netherworld-dwellers, previously defeated by the gods, realize that Duryodhana’s downfall would also destroy their own cause; they therefore decide to take steps to prevent their side from collapsing with him.