Shloka 251

Draupadī’s Rebuke of Jayadratha and Dhaumya’s Admonition (Āraṇyaka-parva, Adhyāya 252)

Devanagari script

इति श्रीमहाभारते वनपर्वणि घोषयात्रापर्वणि दुर्योधनप्रायोपवेशे एकपज्चाशदधिकद्वधिशततमो<5ध्याय:

Transliteration

iti śrīmahābhārate vanaparvaṇi ghoṣayātrāparvaṇi duryodhana-prāyopaveśe ekapañcāśad-adhika-dviśatatamo 'dhyāyaḥ

Translation

Như vậy kết thúc chương thứ 251 của Vana Parva trong Śrī Mahābhārata, thuộc phần Ghoṣa-yātrā (cuộc viễn chinh cướp bò), thuật lại quyết tâm của Duryodhana thực hành “nhịn ăn cho đến chết”. Lời kết (colophon) này báo hiệu một bước ngoặt của truyện: kiêu mạn và nhục nhã đẩy Duryodhana đến ý chí tự hủy, khơi lên căng thẳng đạo lý giữa cái ngã cố chấp và bổn phận của vương quyền cùng tình thân tộc hệ.

Word by Word

• इति: thus; end-quotation marker
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इति

• श्रीमहाभारते: in the Śrī-Mahābhārata
• श्रीमहाभारते: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: श्रीमहाभारत
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• वनपर्वणि: in the Vana-parvan (Forest Book)
• वनपर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वनपर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• घोषयात्रापर्वणि: in the Ghoṣayātrā-parvan (section on the cattle-raid/journey)
• घोषयात्रापर्वणि: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: घोषयात्रापर्वन्
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• दुर्योधनप्रायोपवेशे: in (the episode of) Duryodhana's fast-unto-death
• दुर्योधनप्रायोपवेशे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: दुर्योधनप्रायोपवेश
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• एकपञ्चाशत्: fifty-one
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकपञ्चाशत्
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• अधिक: additional; over and above
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अधिक
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• द्विशततमः: two-hundred-and-(something)th; 200th (ordinal base)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: द्विशततम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• अध्यायः: chapter
• अध्यायः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अध्याय
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Mahābhārata
• Vana Parva
• Ghoṣa-yātrā (cattle-raid expedition)
• Duryodhana
• Prāyopaveśa (fast unto death)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The colophon highlights an ethical fault-line: when honor and ego dominate, a ruler may choose self-harmful extremes rather than self-correction. It implicitly contrasts impulsive, pride-driven resolve with dharmic steadiness—endurance, accountability, and responsibility to one’s role and relationships.

What is happening in the narrative?

This is an end-of-chapter colophon marking the conclusion of a chapter in the Ghoṣa-yātrā episode, specifically the portion dealing with Duryodhana’s decision to undertake prāyopaveśa (a fast unto death). It signals that the preceding narrative has brought Duryodhana to a crisis point.