Shloka 9

कामीकवने द्रौपदी-दर्शनम्

Draupadī Observed at the Kāmyaka Hermitage

Devanagari script

उपागम्याब्रवीत्‌ कर्णो दुर्योधनमिदं तदा,उस समय कर्णने समीप आकर दुर्योधनसे इस प्रकार कहा--'गान्धारीनन्दन! बड़े सौभाग्यकी बात है कि तुम जीवित हो। सौभाग्यवश हमलोग पुन: एक-दूसरेसे मिल गये। भाग्यसे तुमने इच्छानुसार रूप धारण करनेवाले गन्धर्वोपर विजय पायी, यह और भी प्रसन्नताकी बात है

Transliteration

upāgamya abravīt karṇo duryodhanam idaṁ tadā | gāndhārīnandana! mahāsaubhāgyasya te yac jīvasi | saubhāgyavaśād asmākaṁ punaḥ paraspara-saṅgamo jātaḥ | bhāgyāt tvayā kāmarūpiṇo gandharvāḥ parājitāḥ, tad api harṣaṇīyam ||

Translation

Тогда Карна подошёл к Дурьодхане и сказал: «О сын Гандхари, великое счастье, что ты жив! По удаче мы вновь встретились. И ещё радостнее то, что по благому жребию ты одолел гандхарвов, способных принимать любой облик».

Word by Word

• {'upāgamya': 'having approached, coming near', 'abravīt': 'said, spoke', 'karṇaḥ': 'Karna (son of Kuntī

• ally of Duryodhana)', 'duryodhanam': 'to Duryodhana (leader of the Kauravas)', 'tadā': 'then, at that time', 'gāndhārī-nandana': 'son of Gāndhārī (epithet of Duryodhana)', 'mahā-saubhāgyam': 'great good fortune', 'jīvasi': 'you live, you are alive', 'saubhāgya-vaśāt': 'by the power of good fortune, luckily', 'punaḥ': 'again', 'paraspara-saṅgamaḥ': 'mutual meeting, reunion', 'bhāgyāt': 'by fate/fortune', 'kāma-rūpiṇaḥ': 'able to assume any desired form (shape-shifters)', 'gandharvāḥ': 'Gandharvas (celestial beings)', 'vijayaḥ / parājitāḥ': 'victory / (they were) defeated', 'harṣaṇīyam': 'a cause for delight, gladdening'}

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Karṇa
• Duryodhana
• Gāndhārī
• Gandharvas

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how survival, reunion, and success are framed as matters of saubhāgya (fortune). Ethically, it shows how warriors may interpret events as destiny-driven, which can reinforce confidence and attachment to power—an attitude that later affects discernment about dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana narrates that Karṇa comes to Duryodhana and congratulates him: Duryodhana is alive, they have reunited, and Duryodhana has (by fortune) gained victory over the shape-shifting Gandharvas—presented as a joyful development.