Shloka 5
Adhyāya 52 (Sabhā-parva): Vidura Invites Yudhiṣṭhira to Hastināpura for the Dice Match
मेरु और मन्दराचलके बीचमें प्रवाहित होनेवाली शैलोदा नदीके दोनों तटोंपर छिठ्रोंमें वायुके भर जानेसे वेणुकी तरह बजनेवाले बाँसोंकी रमणीय छायामें जो लोग बैठते और विश्राम करते हैं, वे खस, एकासन, अह, प्रदर, दीर्घवेणु, पारद, पुलिन्द, तंगण और परतंगण आदि नरेश भेंटमें देनेके लिये पिपीलिकाओं (चींटियों)-द्वारा निकाले हुए पिपीलिक नामवाले सुवर्णके ढेर-के-ढेर उठा लाये थे। उसका माप द्रोणसे किया जाता था ॥। २-- ४।। कृष्णॉल्ललामां श्वमराज्छुक्लां श्षान्याज्छशि प्रभान् । हिमवत्पुष्पजं चैव स्वादु क्षौद्रं तथा बहु
duryodhana uvāca | meru-mandarācalayoḥ madhye pravahantyāḥ śailodāyā nadīyā ubhayataṭeṣu chidrāntareṣu vāyor āpūryamāṇeṣu veṇur iva ninādavatāṃ veṇūnāṃ ramaṇīyāyāṃ chāyāyāṃ ye janā upaviśanti viśrāmyanti ca, te khasā ekāśanā āhāḥ pradarā dīrghaveṇavaḥ pāradaḥ pulindāḥ taṅgaṇāḥ parataṅgaṇāś ca nṛpāḥ pīpīlikābhiḥ nirhṛtaṃ pīpīlika-nāma suvarṇaṃ rāśīn rāśīn upahṛtya dāna-bhūtam ājagmuḥ | tasya mānaṃ droṇena kriyate || kṛṣṇollalāmāṃ śvamārāj chuklāṃ śānyāj chaśi-prabhān | himavat-puṣpajaṃ caiva svādu kṣaudraṃ tathā bahu ||
Duryodhana said: “Between Mount Meru and Mount Mandara flows the river Śailodā. On both its banks, in the hollows where the wind gathers, the bamboos sound like flutes; in their delightful shade certain peoples sit and rest. Those kings—Khasa, Ekāśana, Āha, Pradara, Dīrghaveṇu, Pārada, Pulinda, Taṅgaṇa, Parataṅgaṇa, and others—came bearing as tribute great heaps of gold called ‘Pīpīlika’, said to have been brought out by ants; its quantity was measured by the droṇa measure. He further mentions abundant sweet honey and other rare goods.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how political sovereignty expresses itself through tribute and displays of wealth; ethically, it invites reflection on the allure of material splendor and how such magnificence can fuel pride, rivalry, and courtly tension—forces that later contribute to conflict.
Duryodhana is describing distant regions and peoples who bring extraordinary tribute—especially ‘Pīpīlika’ gold associated with ants—along with other rare goods. The description functions as a catalogue of the empire’s reach and the opulence surrounding the royal court.