Shloka 19
जन्मवृद्धिमिवार्थानां यो वृद्धिमभिकाड्क्षते | एधते ज्ञातिषु स वै सद्यो वृद्धि्हि विक्रम:
janma-vṛddhim ivārthānāṁ yo vṛddhim abhikāṅkṣate | edhate jñātiṣu sa vai sadyo vṛddhiḥ hi vikramaḥ ||
Duryodhana said: “Just as living beings naturally grow from birth, so too does wealth increase for one who actively longs for and pursues its growth. Such a person quickly rises above his kinsmen and prospers among them; for decisive exertion—bold initiative—is indeed the immediate cause of advancement.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse asserts a pragmatic ethic of artha: prosperity comes quickly to the one who actively desires and pursues increase, and bold initiative (vikrama) is presented as the immediate driver of advancement—especially in competitive clan settings.
In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana is articulating a worldview that prizes rapid rise through energetic effort and ambition, framing success among one’s relatives and rivals as the result of decisive enterprise.