Shloka 26
Dyūta-āhvāna: Śakuni’s Proposal, Vidura’s Warning, and the Summons of Yudhiṣṭhira
Sabhā-parva 51
प्रमाणरागस्पर्शाब्यं बाह्लीचीनसमुद्धवम् । ऑऔर्ण च राड़कवं चैव कीटजं पट्टजं तथा
pramāṇarāgasparśābhyāṃ bāhlīcīnasamudbhavam | aurṇaṃ ca rāḍakavaṃ caiva kīṭajaṃ paṭṭajaṃ tathā
Duryodhana said: “Also (there were) textiles and garments—distinguished by their measure, dye, and feel—originating from Bāhlīka and China: woollen cloth, the fine fabric called rāḍakava, and likewise silk produced from insects, as well as cloth made from paṭṭa (silk).”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how fascination with luxury and imported prestige goods can become a marker of power and status in the court, feeding attachment and rivalry—conditions that, in the Sabha Parva’s ethical landscape, contribute to adharma and the unraveling of restraint.
Duryodhana is listing valuable textiles—woollen cloth, named fine fabrics, and silks (including insect-produced silk)—noting their foreign origin (Bāhlīka and China). The line functions as part of an inventory-like description of wealth and splendor associated with courtly display.