Shloka 20
नाप्राप्य पाण्डवैश्वर्य संशयो मे भविष्यति । अवाप्स््ये वा श्रियं तां हि शयिष्ये वा हतो युधि
nāprāpya pāṇḍavaiśvaryaṃ saṃśayo me bhaviṣyati | avāpsye vā śriyaṃ tāṃ hi śayiṣye vā hato yudhi ||
Duryodhana declares that until he obtains the sovereignty and wealth belonging to the Pāṇḍavas, his mind will remain in doubt and unrest. Therefore, he resolves on an extreme alternative: either he will seize that prosperity for himself, or he will fall slain in battle and lie down in death—only then, he believes, will his inner conflict end.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse illustrates how obsession with another’s prosperity breeds perpetual inner turmoil (saṃśaya) and drives one toward unethical extremes. Duryodhana frames peace as impossible without possession, revealing a mindset where desire overrides dharma and makes violence or self-destruction seem acceptable.
In the Sabha Parva context, Duryodhana is voicing his agitation after witnessing the Pāṇḍavas’ rising splendor. He expresses a hard resolve: he will not rest until he acquires their royal fortune, and if he cannot, he prefers death in battle—signaling the escalation toward conflict.