Shloka 16
जतुगृहदाहः — The Burning of the Lac House and the Pāṇḍavas’ Concealed Escape
दुर्योधन उवाच भुड्क्ष्य भोगान् मया सार्ध बन्धूनां पियकृद् भव । दुर्हदां कुरु सर्वेषां मूर्थ्नि पादमरिंदम,दुर्योधन बोला--शत्रुदमन! तुम मेरे साथ उत्तम भोग भोगो। अपने भाई-बन्धुओंका प्रिय करो और समस्त शत्रुओंके मस्तकपर पैर रखो
duryodhana uvāca | bhuṅkṣva bhogān mayā sārdhaṁ bandhūnāṁ priyakṛd bhava | dṛḍhahṛdāṁ kuru sarveṣāṁ mūrdhni pādam ariṁdama ||
Duryodhana sprach: „Genieße die Freuden mit mir. Werde einer, der die Zuneigung seiner Brüder und Verwandten gewinnt; und, o Bezwinger der Feinde, setze deinen Fuß auf die Häupter aller, die dir widerstehen.“
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a political-ethical temptation: the promise of pleasure and status, coupled with a call to secure internal loyalty and crush opposition. In Mahābhārata’s moral landscape, such counsel often contrasts with dharma-centered restraint, warning how desire for bhoga (enjoyment) and domination can drive adharma and escalation of conflict.
Duryodhana is exhorting an addressed warrior (called ‘ariṁdama’, “subduer of foes”) to align with him: to share in royal enjoyments, win over kinsmen, and assert supremacy over steadfast opponents—an attempt to consolidate support and encourage aggressive dominance.