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 ||
Vaiśampāyana sagte: „Du hüllst dich in kostbare Mäntel, du isst feinen, reinen weißen Reis, und edelgeborene Pferde tragen dich beim Ritt. Durch welchen Kummer also bist du bleich und ausgemergelt wie ein Hirsch geworden?“
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.