Shloka 24
अक्षदेवन-प्रवर्तनम् | Commencement of the Dice Game
एतां दृष्टवा श्रियं पार्थे हरिश्वन्द्रे यथा विभो । कथं तु जीवितं श्रेयो मम पश्यसि भारत,भारत! हरिश्वन्द्रकी भाँति कुन्तीनन्दन युधिष्ठिरकी इस राजलक्ष्मीको देखकर मेरा जीवित रहना आप किस दृष्टिसे अच्छा समझते हैं?
etāṁ dṛṣṭvā śriyaṁ pārthe hariścandre yathā vibho | kathaṁ tu jīvitaṁ śreyo mama paśyasi bhārata bhārata ||
Duryodhana said: “O Bhārata, seeing this royal splendor of Pārtha (Yudhiṣṭhira)—like that of King Hariścandra—how can you regard it as better for me to go on living? How can my life be considered worthwhile in the face of such prosperity?”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how envy and wounded pride can distort judgment: instead of responding to another’s success with restraint or ethical reflection, Duryodhana treats it as an existential humiliation. It foreshadows how unchecked jealousy becomes a driver of adharma and conflict.
In the Sabha context, Duryodhana witnesses Yudhiṣṭhira’s extraordinary royal prosperity and prestige. Overwhelmed by resentment, he addresses an elder as “Bhārata,” declaring that seeing such splendor makes his own life feel pointless—an emotional outburst that signals his growing hostility toward the Pāṇḍavas.