Shloka 19
दुर्योधनस्य बलिवर्णनम् — Duryodhana’s Description of Tribute at the Rājasūya
स तु गच्छन्ननेकाग्र: सभामेको<5न्वचिन्तयत् । श्रियं च तामनुपमां धर्मराजस्य धीमत:,रास्तेमें जाते समय वह नाना प्रकारके विचारोंसे चिन्तातुर था। वह अकेला ही परम बुद्धिमान् धर्मराज युधिष्ठिकी अलौकिक सभा तथा अनुपम लक्ष्मीके विषयमें सोच रहा था
sa tu gacchann anekāgraḥ sabhām eko 'nvacintayat | śriyaṃ ca tām anupamāṃ dharmarājasya dhīmataḥ ||
As he went on his way, his mind was pulled in many directions, burdened with anxious thoughts. Walking alone, he kept reflecting on the wondrous royal hall and the incomparable prosperity of the wise Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira—an outward sign of kingship grounded in dharma, able to awaken awe, envy, and strategic unease in others.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Outer prosperity and grandeur (śrī, sabhā) are not merely decorative; they shape minds and ethics in politics—evoking admiration, insecurity, and envy. The verse highlights how attention to another’s righteous success can become a source of inner agitation, a moral warning about uncontrolled comparison and desire.
A person is traveling onward, mentally unsettled and thinking alone about Yudhiṣṭhira’s extraordinary assembly hall and unmatched prosperity. The narration sets up the psychological background for later reactions to the Pāṇḍavas’ splendour in the Sabha context.