Shloka 8
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
प्रसीद मा त्यजात्मान तुष्टश्न सुकृतं समर । प्रयच्छ राज्यं पार्थानां यशो धर्ममवाप्रुहि
vaiśampāyana uvāca | prasīda mā tyajātmānaṁ tuṣṭaś ca sukṛtaṁ smara | prayaccha rājyaṁ pārthānāṁ yaśo dharmam avāpnuhi ||
Vaiśampāyana berkata: “Tenangkanlah hati; janganlah meninggalkan dirimu (jangan mengakhiri nyawa). Ingatlah kebaikan dan perilaku terhormat yang telah ditunjukkan kepadamu, lalu berpuas hatilah. Kembalikan kerajaan kepada para Pārtha; dengan demikian engkau akan memperoleh kemasyhuran yang kekal dan pahala dharma.”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse urges restraint and moral repair: do not fall into despair or self-destruction, but remember past goodwill and choose the dharmic path—restoring what is rightfully owed—thereby gaining both ethical merit (dharma) and honorable reputation (yaśas).
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a counsel is being delivered to a ruler or decision-maker who is distressed or inclined toward ruinous action. The speaker advises him to calm down, recall the Pāṇḍavas’ virtuous conduct, and return their kingdom, framing this restitution as the path to dharma and lasting fame.