Shloka 31
अक्षविजय-प्रसङ्गः
Escalation of Wagers and Shakuni’s Repeated Declarations of Victory
राजा धृतराष्ट्रने कुरुकुलको आनन्दित करनेवाले युधिष्ठिर तथा भीमसेन आदि अन्य चारों पाण्डवोंका मस्तक सूँघा ।।
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
rājā dhṛtarāṣṭraḥ kuru-kula-kānandita-karaṇe yudhiṣṭhiraṃ bhīmasenaṃ cānyaṃś ca catvāraḥ pāṇḍavān mūrdhānam āghrāya |
tato harṣaḥ samabhavat kauravāṇāṃ viśāṃ-pate |
tān dṛṣṭvā puruṣa-vyāghrān pāṇḍavān priya-darśanān janamejaya ||
Вайшампаяна сказал: Царь Дхритараштра, радость рода Куру, с любовью обнюхал головы Юдхиштхиры, Бхимасены и прочих Пандавов. Тогда, о владыка людей, Джанамеджая, увидев прибытие тех Пандавов — героев, подобных тиграм, приятных взору и любимых, — кауравы исполнились великой радости.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the dharmic surface of royal and familial conduct—showing respect, affection, and welcome to kinsmen. It also invites reflection on how outward propriety can coexist with unspoken political rivalry, a recurring ethical tension in the epic.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra greets the Pāṇḍavas with an affectionate gesture (smelling their heads), and the Kauravas feel joy upon seeing the heroic, pleasing-to-behold Pāṇḍavas arrive at court, as narrated by Vaiśampāyana to King Janamejaya.