Shloka 14
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
भ्रातृज्येष्ठ: स्थितो राज्ये विन्दसे कि न शोभनम् | पृथग्जनैरलभ्यं यद् भोजनाच्छादनं परम्,“महाबाहो! तुम अपने भाइयोंमें बड़े हो, अतः राजाके पदपर स्थित हो, तुम्हें किस कल्याणमय वस्तुकी प्राप्ति नहीं होती है? दूसरे लोगोंके लिये जो अलभ्य है, वह उत्तम भोजन और वस्त्र तुम्हें प्राप्त हैं। फिर तुम क्यों शोक करते हो? महाबाहो! तुम्हारे बाप- दादोंका यह महान् राष्ट्र धन-धान्यसे सम्पन्न है
vaiśampāyana uvāca | bhrātṛjyeṣṭhaḥ sthito rājye vindase kiṃ na śobhanam | pṛthagjanair alabhyam yad bhojanācchādanaṃ param ||
Vaiśampāyana said: “You are the eldest among your brothers and are established in kingship; what auspicious good is there that you do not obtain? The finest food and clothing—things unattainable for ordinary people—are available to you. Why, then, do you grieve?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
External prosperity—rank, power, fine food and clothing—does not by itself remove sorrow; the verse challenges the ethics of lamentation rooted in attachment and urges reflection on the true cause of grief beyond material sufficiency.
In Vaiśampāyana’s narration, a speaker addresses an elder brother who holds royal authority, pointing out that he already possesses privileges unavailable to ordinary people and questioning why he is still grieving, thereby setting a moral contrast between worldly abundance and inner distress.