Shloka 22
दुर्योधनस्य बलिवर्णनम् — Duryodhana’s Description of Tribute at the Rājasūya
दुर्योधन उवाच दृष्टवेमां पृथिवीं कृत्स्नां युधिष्ठिरवशानुगाम् । जितामस्त्रप्रतापेन श्वेताश्व॒स्य महात्मन:
duryodhana uvāca dṛṣṭavemāṃ pṛthivīṃ kṛtsnāṃ yudhiṣṭhiravaśānugām | jitām astrapratāpena śvetāśvasya mahātmanaḥ ||
Duryodhana dijo: «Oh tío materno, he visto cómo toda esta tierra ha quedado bajo el dominio de Yudhiṣṭhira—conquistada por el poder de las armas de Arjuna, el magnánimo de caballos blancos. Al contemplar la supremacía y la fama que Yudhiṣṭhira ha reunido gracias al valor de Arjuna, me consume la envidia: mi mente arde día y noche al ver el ascenso justo de otro hacia la soberanía.»
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how envy (īrṣyā) distorts judgment: instead of recognizing merit and dharma in another’s success, Duryodhana experiences it as personal injury. This inner affliction becomes a seed for unethical choices and conflict.
Duryodhana, speaking to his maternal uncle Śakuni (implied by the address in the prose context), reflects on Yudhiṣṭhira’s growing supremacy—achieved through Arjuna’s martial prowess in subduing kings—setting the emotional groundwork for the hostility that will culminate in the dice-game and later war.