Shloka 53
Rājasūya: Agrapūjā for Kṛṣṇa and the Slaying (and Liberation) of Śiśupāla
दुर्योधनमृते पापं कलिं कुरुकुलामयम् । यो न सेहे श्रियं स्फीतां दृष्ट्वा पाण्डुसुतस्य ताम् ॥ ५३ ॥
duryodhanam ṛte pāpaṁ kaliṁ kuru-kulāmayam yo na sehe śrīyaṁ sphītāṁ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍu-sutasya tām
All were satisfied except sinful Duryodhana—an embodiment of Kali, the disease of the Kuru line—who could not bear to see the flourishing opulence of Pāṇḍu’s son.
Śrīla Prabhupāda writes: “Duryodhana by nature was very envious because of his sinful life, and he appeared in the dynasty of the Kurus as a chronic disease personified in order to destroy the whole family.” Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī mentions that Duryodhana hated pure religious principles.
FAQs
This verse identifies Duryodhana’s intolerance of Yudhiṣṭhira’s prosperity as Kali-like—envy that breeds quarrel and becomes a “disease” within a dynasty or society.
Because, upon seeing the flourishing success of Pāṇḍu’s son (Yudhiṣṭhira) during the Rājasūya, he could not tolerate it; such intolerance is a hallmark of Kali’s influence.
The shloka warns that intolerance of others’ good fortune is spiritually destructive; cultivating gratitude, honoring dharmic success, and redirecting the mind toward service (bhakti) counters this Kali-like tendency.