Shloka 15
अश्वमेध-उपदेशः तथा मरुत्त-यज्ञ-धन-प्रसङ्गः
Counsel on Aśvamedha and the Marutta-treasure episode
दुर्योधनापराधेन वसुधा वसुधाधिपा: । प्रणष्टा योजयित्वास्मानकीर्त्या मुनिसत्तम,मुनिश्रेष्ठ! दुर्योधनके अपराधसे यह पृथ्वी और अधिकांश राजा हमलोगोंके माथे अपयशका टीका लगाकर नष्ट हो गये
yudhiṣṭhira uvāca | duryodhanāparādhena vasudhā vasudhādhipāḥ | praṇaṣṭā yojayitvāsmān akīrtyā munisattama ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Because of Duryodhana’s wrongdoing, the earth has been devastated and many kings, lords of the land, have perished—after first fastening upon us the stigma of disgrace, O best of sages.”
युधिषछ्िर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Wrongdoing by a leader can bring widespread ruin—destroying the land and causing the death of many—while also distorting moral perception so that the innocent or reluctant are branded with disgrace. The verse highlights ethical causality (aparādha → devastation) and the social power of reputation (kīrti/akīrti).
In the Ashvamedhika context, Yudhiṣṭhira reflects on the catastrophic outcome of the Kurukṣetra war. He tells a sage that Duryodhana’s offense led to the devastation of the earth and the fall of many kings, and that the Pāṇḍavas were made to bear the mark of infamy in the process.