Shloka 9
Dyūta-āhvāna: Śakuni’s Proposal, Vidura’s Warning, and the Summons of Yudhiṣṭhira
Sabhā-parva 51
शूद्रा विप्रोत्तमार्हाणि राड़ुकवाण्यजिनानि च
śūdrā viprottamārhāṇi rāḍukavāṇy ajināni ca, mahārāja! bharukaccha-nivāsī śūdra-śreṣṭhā brāhmaṇopayogam āneyogyāṇi raṅkumṛga-carmāṇi tathānyāḥ sarva-prakārā bhēṭa-sāmagrīṃ gṛhītvā upasthitāḥ; te saha gāndhāra-deśasya bahūn aśvān api ānītavantaḥ.
قال دوريوذانا: «أيها الملك العظيم، لقد قدم أرفعُ الشودرَة—من سكان بهاروكاچّا—حاملين قرابين تليق بأفضل البراهمة: جلود الظباء وسائر أصناف الجزية. ومع ذلك جاؤوا أيضًا بخيلٍ كثيرة من أرض غاندھارا.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how political power and royal prestige are reinforced through tribute networks: communities from distant regions present valuable goods—especially items associated with Brahminical ritual life and elite status—thereby acknowledging sovereignty and participating in the kingdom’s social-religious economy.
In the royal assembly context, Duryodhana reports to the king that leading Śūdra residents of Bharukaccha have arrived with tribute—antelope hides and other offerings—and that they have also brought many horses sourced from Gandhāra, emphasizing the breadth of resources flowing toward the Kuru court.