Shloka 16
शत्रुपक्षं समृध्यन्तं यो मोहात् समुपेक्षते । व्याधिराप्यायित इव तस्य मूलं छिनत्ति सः
śatrupakṣaṃ samṛddhyantaṃ yo mohāt samupekṣate | vyādhir āpyāyita iva tasya mūlaṃ chinatti saḥ ||
He who, out of delusion, ignores the enemy faction as it steadily prospers—such an enemy, like a disease that has been allowed to grow strong, cuts him down at the very root.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
A ruler must not ignore a rival’s growing power; indifference born of delusion lets danger mature until it destroys one’s very foundation—like a disease that, once nourished, becomes fatal.
Duryodhana voices a hard-edged counsel of statecraft: he warns that allowing an opposing party to flourish unchecked is politically suicidal, urging vigilance against strengthening adversaries.