Shloka 35

द्रौपदी-शैब्यसंवादः — Draupadī’s Identification and Counsel on Hospitality

Devanagari script

तथा तौ दुःखितौ दृष्टवा दःशासनसुयोधनौ

Transliteration

tathā tau duḥkhitau dṛṣṭvā daḥśāsana-suyodhanau

Translation

Вайшампаяна сказал: Увидев тех двоих в бедствии, Духшасана и Суйодхана тотчас отреагировали — примета того, как вожди кауравов отвечают, сталкиваясь с чужим страданием; в этом и заключено одно из главных нравственных напряжений повествования.

Word by Word

• तथा: thus, in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• दुःखितौ: distressed, sorrowful (two)
• दुःखितौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: दुःखित
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• दृष्ट्वा: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage-neutral for gerund)

• दुःशासन: Duhshasana
• दुःशासन: Karma
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: दुःशासन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• सुयोधनौ: Suyodhana (Duryodhana)
• सुयोधनौ: Karma
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: सुयोधन
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• Duhśāsana
• Suyodhana (Duryodhana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights an ethical fault-line: how powerful figures respond when they witness others’ distress. In the Mahābhārata’s moral universe, compassion and restraint align with dharma, while callousness or opportunism in the face of suffering signals adharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

The narrator (Vaiśampāyana) notes that Duhśāsana and Suyodhana (Duryodhana) see “those two” who are distressed. This sets up the next action or reaction by the Kaurava leaders, marking a narrative pivot based on what they observe.