Duryodhana’s Envy at Yudhiṣṭhira’s Rājasūya and the Avabhṛtha Festival
श्रीराजोवाच अजातशत्रोस्तं दृष्ट्वा राजसूयमहोदयम् । सर्वे मुमुदिरे ब्रह्मन् नृदेवा ये समागता: ॥ १ ॥ दुर्योधनं वर्जयित्वा राजान: सर्षय: सुरा: । इति श्रुतं नो भगवंस्तत्र कारणमुच्यताम् ॥ २ ॥
śrī-rājovāca ajāta-śatros tam dṛṣṭvā rājasūya-mahodayam sarve mumudire brahman nṛ-devā ye samāgatāḥ
Dijo Mahārāja Parīkṣit: Oh brāhmaṇa, según he oído de ti, todos los reyes, sabios y devas reunidos se alegraron al ver las maravillosas festividades del Rājasūya del rey Ajātaśatru, con la sola excepción de Duryodhana. Te ruego, señor, que me digas la causa.
These verses describe how the assembled godlike kings rejoiced upon seeing Yudhishthira’s Rājasūya opulence, highlighting the grandeur and religious significance of the sacrifice in Krishna’s presence.
Parīkṣit had heard a specific detail—that Duryodhana was singled out as excluded—so he asks Śukadeva (addressed as “O brāhmaṇa, O venerable one”) to clarify the narrative cause and its deeper implication.
It encourages inquiry into the roots of exclusion, envy, and offense—reminding us that spiritual and social harmony depends on understanding motives and correcting pride rather than celebrating prestige alone.