Shloka 16
भीमसेन–अलायुधयुद्धम् / Bhīmasena and Alāyudha: Night Engagement and Command Responses
ये मदर्थ परीप्सन्ते वसुधां वसुधाधिपा: । ते हित्वा वसुधैश्चर्य वसुधामधिशेरते
ye mad-artha parīpsante vasudhāṁ vasudhādhipāḥ | te hitvā vasudha-aiśvaryaṁ vasudhām adhiśerate ||
Duryodhana said: “Those kings, lords of the earth, who strive for my sake—abandoning their earthly sovereignty and its splendor—now lie upon the very ground.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical cost of war-driven allegiance: even powerful kings who act ‘for my sake’ can end by forfeiting sovereignty and life, showing how ambition and factional loyalty can consume those who support it.
In the Drona Parva’s intense battle context, Duryodhana reflects on allied kings who fought for his cause; he observes that they have given up their royal prosperity and now lie on the earth—an image of battlefield death and the collapse of worldly power.