Shloka 11
दुर्योधनस्य बलिवर्णनम् — Duryodhana’s Description of Tribute at the Rājasūya
आरुरोह तत: सर्वे जहसुश्न पुनर्जना: । द्वारं तु पिहिताकारं स्फाटिकं प्रेक्ष्य भूमिप: । प्रविशन्नाहतो मूर्थ्नि व्याघूर्णित इव स्थित:
āruroha tataḥ sarve jahasuś ca punar janāḥ | dvāraṃ tu pihitākāraṃ sphāṭikaṃ prekṣya bhūmipaḥ | praviśann āhato mūrdhni vyāghūrṇita iva sthitaḥ ||
Then they all ascended, and the people laughed again. Seeing a crystal doorway that seemed to be shut, the king tried to enter; he struck his head and stood there reeling, as if stunned.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights an ethical caution: when a person—especially a ruler—acts with pride or impatience, lacking careful perception, he becomes vulnerable to error and public ridicule. Discernment and self-restraint are essential virtues amid grandeur and deception.
As the group moves within the wondrous hall, a king sees what looks like a closed crystal door and tries to pass through it. It is not an opening as he assumes; he hits his head and reels, while onlookers laugh at the mishap.