Shloka 26
Rājasūyābhiṣeka-darśana: Duryodhana’s Observation of the Consecration
वे सब लोग सोनेके सुन्दर कलश और इतना धन लेकर आये थे, तो भी वे सभी राजद्वारमें प्रवेश नहीं कर पाते थे अर्थात् उनमेंसे कोई-कोई ही प्रवेश कर पाते थे ।। यथैव मधु शक्राय धारयन्त्यमरस्त्रिय: । तदस्मै कांस्यमाहार्षीद् वारुणं कलशोदधि:,देवांगनाएँ इन्द्रके लिये कलशोंमें जैसा मधु लिये रहती हैं, वैसा ही वरुणदेवताका दिया हुआ और काँसके पात्रमें रखा हुआ मधु समुद्रने युधिष्ठिरके लिये उपहारमें भेजा था
ve sarve suvarṇasya sundarān kalaśān tathā bahu dhanaṃ ca gṛhītvāgatāḥ, tathāpi te sarve rājadvāre praviṣṭuṃ na śekuḥ; teṣāṃ madhye kecid eva praviśanti sma. yathaiva madhu śakrāya dhārayanty amarastriyaḥ, tad asmai kāṃsyam āhārṣīd vāruṇaṃ kalaśodadhiḥ.
Duryodhana said that although all those kings arrived bearing beautiful golden jars and abundant wealth, they still could not all enter the royal gate at once—only some among them were able to gain entry. He added that, just as celestial maidens keep honey in jars for Indra, so too the Ocean, holding in a bronze vessel the honey bestowed by Varuṇa, sent it as a gift for Yudhiṣṭhira.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External wealth and lavish offerings do not guarantee access or precedence; true standing is shaped by order, legitimacy, and the larger moral-cosmic framework. The verse also hints at how spectacle and prosperity can provoke envy, becoming an ethical test for the observer (here, Duryodhana).
Duryodhana describes the immense crowd of kings arriving with gifts for Yudhiṣṭhira, so numerous that not all could enter the palace gate together. He then highlights a wondrous, prestigious gift—honey associated with Varuṇa and conveyed by the Ocean—comparing it to the honey kept for Indra by celestial women, emphasizing the extraordinary honor being paid to Yudhiṣṭhira.