Shloka 15
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
भारत! संतोष लक्ष्मी और अभिमानका नाश कर देता है। दया और भय--ये दोनों भी वैसे ही हैं। इन (संतोषादि)-से युक्त मनुष्य कभी ऊँचा पद नहीं पा सकता ।।
bhārata! santoṣaḥ lakṣmīm abhīmānaṃ ca nāśayati. dayā bhayaṃ ca—ete ubhe api tathaiva. ebhiḥ (santoṣādibhiḥ) yukto manuṣyaḥ kadācana uccaṃ padaṃ na prāpnoti. na māṃ prīṇāti madbhuktaṃ śriyaṃ dṛṣṭvā yudhiṣṭhire, ati-jvalantīṃ kaunteya, vivarṇa-karaṇīṃ mama.
Duryodhana erklärt, Zufriedenheit vernichte sowohl Wohlstand als auch Stolz; ebenso untergrüben Mitleid und Furcht den weltlichen Aufstieg. Wer von solchen Eigenschaften beherrscht werde, könne niemals eine hohe Stellung erlangen. Dann wendet er sich an Yudhiṣṭhira und gesteht seinen Neid: „O Sohn der Kuntī, wenn ich Yudhiṣṭhiras loderndes königliches Glück sehe, schmeckt mir mein Essen nicht; dieser Glanz scheint die Farbe aus meinem Gesicht zu ziehen.“
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse exposes the moral blindness of envy: Duryodhana treats virtues like contentment and compassion as obstacles to worldly rise, revealing a value-system driven by ambition and pride. His inability to enjoy even food upon seeing another’s prosperity illustrates how jealousy consumes inner peace and corrodes ethical judgment.
In the royal assembly context, Duryodhana reacts to Yudhiṣṭhira’s flourishing sovereignty and honor. He openly admits that Yudhiṣṭhira’s radiant fortune torments him—so much that his own meal brings no pleasure—signaling the deep resentment that will fuel later hostility.