Shloka 9
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
आच्छादयसि प्रावारानश्रासि विशदौदनम् | आजानेया वहन्त्यश्वा: केनासि हरिण: कृश:
ācchādayasi prāvārān aśnāsi viśadāudanam | ājāneyā vahanty aśvāḥ kenāsi hariṇaḥ kṛśaḥ ||
বৈশম্পায়ন বললেন—“তুমি দামী বস্ত্র পরিধান কর, উৎকৃষ্ট শুদ্ধ ভাত খাও, আর উন্নত জাতের অশ্ব তোমাকে বহন করে; তবে কোন শোকে তুমি হরিণের মতো ফ্যাকাশে ও কৃশ হয়ে গেছ?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Outer prosperity—fine clothing, pure food, and noble conveyance—does not guarantee inner well-being. The verse highlights how grief and anxiety can wither a person despite material comfort, prompting an ethical, compassionate inquiry into the true cause of suffering.
The speaker observes someone who appears materially well-provided—wearing costly mantles, eating refined rice, and riding with noble horses—yet looks pale and emaciated. He asks what sorrow or distress has caused this visible decline, setting up a disclosure of the person’s inner trouble.