Shloka 22
दुर्योधन उवाच दृष्टवेमां पृथिवीं कृत्स्नां युधिष्ठिरवशानुगाम् । जितामस्त्रप्रतापेन श्वेताश्व॒स्य महात्मन:,दुर्योधनने कहा--मामाजी! मैंने देखा है, श्वेतवाहन महात्मा अर्जुनके अस्त्रोंके प्रतापसे जीती हुई यह सारी पृथ्वी युधिष्ठिरके वशमें हो गयी है। महातेजस्वी युधिष्ठिरका वह राजसूययज्ञ उसी प्रकार सम्पन्न हुआ है, जैसे देवताओंमें देवराज इन्द्रका यज्ञ पूर्ण हुआ था। यह सब देखकर मैं दिन-रात ईष्यासे भरा ठीक उसी प्रकार जलता रहता हूँ, जैसे ग्रीष्म- ऋतुमें थोड़ा-ला जल जल्दी सूख जाता है
duryodhana uvāca dṛṣṭavemāṃ pṛthivīṃ kṛtsnāṃ yudhiṣṭhiravaśānugām | jitām astrapratāpena śvetāśvasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “O maternal uncle, I have seen this entire earth brought under Yudhiṣṭhira’s control—conquered by the might of the weapons of the great-souled Arjuna, the one with white horses. Seeing such supremacy and acclaim gathered for Yudhiṣṭhira through Arjuna’s prowess, I am consumed by envy, my mind burning day and night at the sight of another’s righteous rise to sovereignty.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how envy (īrṣyā) distorts judgment: instead of recognizing merit and dharma in another’s success, Duryodhana experiences it as personal injury. This inner affliction becomes a seed for unethical choices and conflict.
Duryodhana, speaking to his maternal uncle Śakuni (implied by the address in the prose context), reflects on Yudhiṣṭhira’s growing supremacy—achieved through Arjuna’s martial prowess in subduing kings—setting the emotional groundwork for the hostility that will culminate in the dice-game and later war.