Shloka 10
Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)
वैशम्पायन उवाच शकुनेस्तु वच: श्रुत्वा दःशासनमवेक्ष्य च
vaiśampāyana uvāca śakunes tu vacaḥ śrutvā duḥśāsanam avekṣya ca
Vaiśampāyana nói: Nghe lời Śakuni, rồi đưa mắt nhìn Duḥśāsana—đó là khoảnh khắc lời khuyên chuyển thành quyết tâm, khi mưu kế xảo trá tìm một công cụ sẵn sàng ra tay, báo trước những hành vi đầy hệ lụy đạo lý, bị thúc đẩy bởi lòng trung thành phe phái hơn là dharma.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unethical outcomes often begin with speech—counsel that appeals to ambition or resentment—and then move to action by selecting a willing agent. It implicitly warns that listening and assenting to manipulative advice is an early step away from dharma.
The narrator notes a sequence: someone hears Śakuni’s words and then looks toward Duḥśāsana, indicating that Śakuni’s counsel is being taken seriously and that Duḥśāsana is being drawn in as the likely executor of what is being proposed.