Shloka 21
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
हिमवत्सागरानूपा: सर्वे रत्नाकरास्तथा | अन्त्या: सर्वे पर्युदस्ता युधिषछ्िरनिवेशने
himavat-sāgarānūpāḥ sarve ratnākarās tathā | antyāḥ sarve paryudastā yudhiṣṭhira-niveśane ||
قال دوريودhana: «إنّ جميع أولئك الملوك القادمين من نواحي الهيمالايا، ومن سواحل البحر ومجاري الأنهار، والمرتبطين بمناجم الجواهر—بل جميع الملوك الذين عُدّوا من “الأقصى خارجًا”—أُبقوا على بُعد ولم يُؤذَن لهم بدخول مقرّ يودهيشثيرا.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power and prestige can produce exclusion: even under a celebrated imperial ceremony, some groups are treated as outsiders. Ethically, it invites reflection on whether royal grandeur aligns with fairness and hospitality, or whether it reinforces social boundaries.
During the description of Yudhiṣṭhira’s grand court/assembly arrangements, Duryodhana points out that certain rulers from distant border regions (Himalayan, coastal, riverine, and jewel-mine areas) were not permitted to enter the palace and were made to stay at a distance—an observation used to frame court hierarchy and, indirectly, rivalry and resentment.