Shloka 26
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Duryodhana Saṃvāda on Restraint and Rājānīti
Chapter 50
वस्त्रमुत्कर्षति मयि प्राहसत् स वृकोदर: । शत्रोऋद्धिविशेषेण विमूढं रत्नवर्जितम्,भारत! बिन्दु-सरोवरसे लाये हुए रत्नोंद्वारा मयासुरने एक कृत्रिम पुष्करिणीका निर्माण किया था, जो स्फटिकमणिकी शिलाओंसे आच्छादित है। वह मुझे जलसे भरी हुई-सी दिखायी दी। भारत! जब मैं उसमें उतरनेके लिये वस्त्र उठाने लगा, तब भीमसेन ठठाकर हँस पड़े। शत्रुकी विशिष्ट समृद्धिसे मैं मूढ़-सा हो रहा था और रत्नोंसे रहित तो था ही
vastram utkarṣati mayi prāhasat sa vṛkodaraḥ | śatro ṛddhi-viśeṣeṇa vimūḍhaṁ ratna-varjitam |
Duryodhana said: “As I lifted up my garment, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) burst into laughter at me. Bewildered by the enemy’s extraordinary splendor, I stood there—stripped of jewels and dignity alike.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how pride and envy distort judgment: dazzled by another’s prosperity, Duryodhana becomes confused and then wounded by ridicule. The ethical warning is that obsession with status and comparison breeds resentment and future wrongdoing.
In the hall famed for its deceptive craftsmanship, Duryodhana mistakes an apparent body of water and lifts his garment to step in; Bhīma mocks him with loud laughter. Duryodhana recounts this as a moment of public embarrassment that intensifies his hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas.