Shloka 526
Duryodhana-śibira-praveśaḥ — The Pāṇḍavas Enter the Kaurava Camp; The Burning of Arjuna’s Chariot
ऐश्वर्य चोत्तमं प्राप्त को नु स्वन्ततरो मया । जो दूसरे राजाओंके लिये दुर्लभ हैं, वे देवताओंको ही सुलभ होनेवाले मानवभोग मुझे प्राप्त हुए हैं। मैंने उत्तम ऐश्वर्य पा लिया है; अतः मुझसे उत्कृष्ट अन्त और किसका हुआ है?
aiśvaryaṃ cottamaṃ prāptaḥ ko nu svantataro mayā | ye pareṣāṃ nṛpāṇāṃ tu durlabhāḥ, te devānām iva sulabhā mānavabhogā mayā prāptāḥ | mayā uttamam aiśvaryaṃ prāptam; ataḥ matto ’dhikaḥ antaḥ kasya bhavet ||
Duryodhana said: “I have attained the highest sovereignty—who could have a more fortunate end than I? Those human enjoyments that are hard to obtain even for other kings have come to me as easily as they come to the gods. I have gained supreme power and prosperity; therefore, whose end could be greater than mine?”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical blindness that can arise from equating success with power and pleasure. Duryodhana measures a ‘great end’ by worldly attainment (aiśvarya, bhoga), ignoring dharma and the moral weight of his actions. In the Mahabharata’s ethical frame, prosperity without righteousness is unstable and does not guarantee a truly ‘fortunate end.’
In Shalya Parva, near the culmination of the Kurukshetra war, Duryodhana reflects on his life and claims that he has already achieved the highest royal fortune—enjoyments rare even for other kings—and therefore considers his end superior. The statement functions as self-justification and reveals his continued pride even as defeat and death draw near.